College Girl
by capitudascamelias
Summary: Emma Swan is a college student who sees herself trapped at Regina Mills' class. The professor is known as Evil Queen since the first time she failed a whole class without mercy. Eventually a SwanQueen story.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes: I'm working on this fic for a few days now and I still don't know where this is going to end. The idea just popped on my head when I was (useless) trying to sleep.**

**English is not my first language, so I also wanna to thank** **_Bloomerellaroo, _who was my beta on this chapter.**

**I hope you like it!**

Chapter 1

Emma took a sit on the back of the class, next a window, thinking about the lame this thing would be. Literature. She had considerd not even attending that class, but she already had missed too many of them and she had been warned about the bitch who was teaching them. What if she failed? Nah… Not a good thing. That would mean that she would have wasted a whole semester with something so boring that certainly would make her ears bleed. Not an option.

She needed to go to class, so there she was. Fifteen minutes late. Headphones hidden under golden curls. She entered the room without knocking and took the last seat on the row. No pencil. No paper. And, then, finally looking at her teacher for the very first time.

Regina Mills. The most feared woman on the college. Looking at the brunette with silky, short hair, Emma could understand why: she got a regal pose, imposing eyes, unreadable face. She displayed power just standing there with her white long-sleeved shirt, tight pencil-skirt and amazing high-heels stilettos. It was so intense that the girl couldn't decide if she found it smoking hot or a terrifying. Maybe both.

By the expression on the professor's face, Emma just knew one thing: someone _really _needed to get laid. As soon as possible.

"Name." The woman's voice was sharp and cold. She spoke in such a low tone that Emma wasn't able to hear it the first time the question was demanded. The girl barely noticed the movement of the brunette's red lips. So, instead answering, the blonde just stayed still, staring the biggest walking-cliché of all times with curious eyes.

She walked slowly toward Emma. Elegant steps with a natural-sensual swing of her hips. Yeah… That woman was all about sex and all about not having any of it. She almost seemed float on her heels. The girl just realized the class was too quiet too late.

Regina leaned over Emma's desk, one palm on the edge of it and the other on her own hip. With a little smirk on her face, Emma saw the black lacy bra the teacher was wearing under that almost unbuttoned shirt. Not bad for someone who looked like had her last orgasm over a decade before.

"Name." The brunette asked again. "Emma Swan. And you are…?" The blonde just couldn't help the sarcasm in her voice and the grin on her lips.

Those perfect lips twitched in a defiant, almost imperceptible smirk while a bright light passed for the dark-hazel eyes. "Professor Regina Mills. Welcome to Literature I." Then she added with a whisper that the girl knew only the two could hear "But you can call it _Hell_, Miss Swan."

* * *

Apparently, it takes more than a threatening smile from a sensual woman to terrified Emma Swan. The young woman was nothing impressed about that human being who seemed to need a mind-blowing orgasm. During the rest of the class, the blonde openly took a nap and winked to the teacher on her way out of the room and straight to the bar across the street.

She took a vodka bottle and gleefully walked toward a pool table. Having a paper to handle in two days didn't affect her moves at all. That girl was on fire that night.

"Em!" The familiar voice made her smile even before she pocket the ball. "Ruby!" Emma exclaimed when she felt arms wrapping around her waist behind her, in an almost indecent hug. She turned around locking gazes with those big sky-blue eyes. "Damn it, girl! You look amazing! Who's the victim?"

The brunette rolled her eyes, pretending to be offended. She lightly pushed her friend's shoulder with an ear to ear grin. "Somebody."

"And does that _somebody_ has a name?" Emma took a sip of the vodka and wrapped an arm around the other girl's waist, looking for an empty table.

"Yes…"

"And can I know who?" Emma was curious, but gossip wasn't on her top five entertainment list.

"Woody."

Despite the fact she respected her friend's choices, Emma couldn't help laughing. "The one that practically _lives_ on the library? Writing or whatever? How did you even meet him?"

"We had a class together last semester. We took Literature I together and he helped me with some stuff." Ruby's voice was a whisper and her cheeks were flushed when she finished talking. Emma wiped the tears away.

Not judging. It's just that the brunette was a hunter. That rocking body, long legs, shining sky-blue eyes and her natural sensual way made her the perfect femme fatale. She could have any guy (and very often she did). And those men usually looked like a Calvin Klein's model. _Underwear_ ones.

And August… The boy was more like a poetry-sensitive-feelings type.

"I wanna be able to _talk_ with someone!"

"That's why you got friends, y'know?" The mocking smile on Emma's face was so annoying that Ruby rolled her eyes with a sigh. "I know what I mean, Em."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders, still smiling.

"Whatever. Hey, did you say LI? Who you got?"

"Mary Margareth. Man, that woman is a mom! Seriously. I didn't fail, against all the odds." The brunette let out an over dramatic sigh and a relived smile. "I've heard that the one this time is the Evil Queen." Her pretty face contorted in disgust.

"Yeah… I'm taking her." She took a sip and added with a mischievous smile. "That woman has a face that someone who was fucked and didn't cum."

"Watch out, Em. I heard she fails whole classes just for the pleasure of ruining somebody else happiness."

"Well…" the girl lifted the bottle to end it. "She needs getting pleasure from _something_, doesn't she?"

* * *

A few hours later, Emma arrived at the closet she used call apartment, letting herself be taken by the need of a hot shower. The water massaged her scalp, helping her to put some order to her thoughts. She had a paper to handle. Too much work for such a little time. The two previews weeks were properly filled with parties, booze and some cute guys she met here and there. Now she got a few hours remaining and no research material.

She dressed one of the jeans that were on the bed (after smelling it) a white tank top and her brown boots. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of her place with a horrible feeling that she had just arrived (what, by the way, was true). Lucky for her, it was just a five minutes' walk to the library.

The more she complained and put the works off, Emma enjoyed doing it. She liked studying. She needed it. And she just loved seen the look of every professor face when they gave her her grades. The most reckless student that ever went through that damn college was also the one with the best results.

Most of them didn't really care, actually. But the ones who pushed her buttons because of presence on classes, being always late and behavior (she _did_ took too many naps on classes)… _Those_ were the ones she liked to push back.

Hours seemed like minutes when she was inside her mind like that, concentrating. The world around would be almost nonexistent while she wrote. It was just her and her mind. That's what she liked the most about it: the power, the control of her thoughts.

Having nightmares for so long makes a person needs this. When your mind controls you, when you are trapped by the bad feelings, the dark emotions and the most horrible thoughts for so long… You learn just how important is this little moments of control. You grab all the chances of leading yourself with your nails and teeth and do your best to never let it go.

She shifted on the chair, rubbing her neck before started reviewing the work. She could not be the best student ever, but when she engaged something, she gave it all of her. She would never allow herself not accomplish a task. She was stubborn. She was determinate. If something must been done, she would do it the right way.

When she finished, she remained there thinking what should she do next. Bar? Nope. Not enough money that month to spend on that. It was still too early to go back to the apartment, though. The silent on the library was a pleasant companion… Whoever, the heat inside the building was driving her crazy.

Emma walked around the Campus with no direction, lost inside of her mind, so distracted that she bumped against someone with a sweet scent of apple. The blonde remembered it while apologized without seeing the person's face.

And then, she turned to the girl. The pretty woman with the regal attitude. A raised eyebrow in silent question.

"Miss Swan." The words came out with an annoyed tone.

"Regina! I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there." she smiled slightly, a genuine tentative apology.

They stared each other for a few minutes before Emma said goodnight and kept walking. Or tried.

"I've noticed that you didn't come at any of my previous classes." The brunette's voice behind her made Emma turn on her heels to stare the woman. "Any reason to justify that?"

"Sure!" The girl answered calmly. The professor remained in silent, waiting for an answer. "I wasn't in the mood." Emma winked to Regina and turn back again, walking no more than three steps before the woman's voice stopped her in a warning.

"I don't admit delays or unproperly justified absences in my class, Miss Swan."

Tired of that live-cartoon, Emma gave a sardonic grin before saying "Or what?"

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Regina remained quiet this time. Or that was what the blonde thought while turning on her heels one last time and walking away with a victorious smirk on her pretty face.

Emma didn't like people telling her what to do. She had grown used to take care of herself, living under her own rules, nobody saying a thing about her methods.

Nothing could mess with her more than authority.

She can take care of herself. Period.

That's why the girl made sure to push the buttons of anyone who tried impose anything over her. She hoped that this time things would be easy, that she would finally have a peaceful semester… All she wanted was going through a calm time at the college without any teacher torturing her about how the hell things should have being done.

_Oh, hell… Why?_

That's why Emma decided she wouldn't miss another single class of the dearest professor Regina Sass Mills. She also would consistently be fifteen minutes later every day. And would gracefully pretend not paying attention to a single word the woman would say. At the end of the classes, she would sweetly smile to the woman, letting her know that Emma Swan didn't follow anyone's rules besides her own.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes: English is not my first language! If there are any mistakes, forgive me and, if you can, let me know so I can improve myself and my writing.**

**I hope you like it! Please, let me know what you think.**

Chapter 2

Emma's mind worked furiously, although her face shown a complete blasé expression towards the short haired woman standing with her back faced to the students. She wrote something on the board with a surprising elegant handwriting.

The blonde girl found he eyes traveling over Regina's clothes and wasn't able to suppress the smirk on her lips when she realized how the outfit adjusted perfectly on the brunette, tightening just on the right places.

"Fairy Tales. What can we explore about them?" The voice crossed Emma's mind, deepening her even more on her stupor. Despite the surprise around the theme of the class, the girl felt certain pleasure about the way those words came out from the professor's mouth. Just for a moment, the girl saw the sparkle of something inside those dark pools.

In the last few weeks, the young woman had never seen Regina Mills any kind of real emotion.

Emma wondered how somebody so young could be so poised and, yet, displays so little humanity. She son understood why everybody called her The Evil Queen: the woman knew how to behave, talk and walk like a perfect lady. Her presence was so marvelous and so frightening at the same time that everybody simply shut up whenever she entered a room or walked down the halls.

Regina had this thing: she attracted all the looks on her, like a powerful magnet.

Her face was always politic, her manners were impeccable and her snaps were remarkably sarcastic.

The blonde wondered what could have happened to the woman became _that_. Emma had absolutely no doubts that nobody could possibly ever being _born_ like this. It was too unreal to think that could _exist_ a child like this. It was too painful to ever consider such possibility.

How was the young Regina? How was she as a child? Emma couldn't help a smile of a picture forming inside her mind: a chubby little girl with a wide innocent smile, the most beautiful big brown eyes, pinkish cheeks and bruised legs.

"What features a villain?" The question surprised Emma, snapping her back at the present to face those hardened eyes.

The classes were built all over questions. The teacher liked teasing, inciting her students, pushing them over debates to make them think. Watching carefully, it was an ironic behavior, since the woman absolutely despised being questioned.

"A badass cape and a creepy laugh?" Emma noticed the massive reaction of her classmates, surprising herself with a smirk and a roll of her eyes.

"A 'villain' it's a character that represents a conflict. It's a metaphor, in a general way: it supposes to represent life's obstacles or the people who think or want something that doesn't fit on the main char objectives." Emma noticed how all eyes were on her now. With a bored sigh, she tried not to focus on the intense gaze of dark brown eyes as she continued talking. "There are no 'villains'. There are, in a matter of fact, misunderstood characters. People with complicated lives and different motivations. People who had been in all sorts of situations, who have different personalities. In some way, every 'villain' is such as a victim as the 'good guy'. They just deal with their problems on their own ways."

The silent remained for a few moments after the girl stopped talking. Gazes turned to Regina, who was a little lost in her own thoughts.

"That's a quite interesting point of view, Miss Swan. Care to say one example, please?"

"Well... I think Hitler." The girl shrugged. The professor's silent shown that she wanted a further explanation. "The guy wanted to live in a perfect world, where there would exist only a pure race. But, for that happening, he would have to eliminate the other ones. That doesn't justify killing thousands of people, of course. Whoever, he just wanted to live in a better world. In a totally crazy and fucked up way, but yet. It was _his_ idea of a perfect world."

"Now an example in the fantastic literature."

Emma frowned, hesitating for a second. Her plan was disregard the classes, not being caught on the brunette's attention and interest while making a whole speech about the class theme._ Shit_.

At the end, she just was too amused by the other students' faces to stop talking. Besides, Regina's stance had completely changed by the answers. The girl liked it and wanted to see more of that.

"Snow White's stepmother." Regina's features hardened as the woman visibly stiffened. "She married obviously without loving her husband. She had a child to raise who, every day, became prettier and looked more with her mother. That must have being a reason to an increasing rejection from the man she lived with." Dark brown eyes narrowed in suspicious toward the blond.

The woman slowly walked toward Emma, who could feel her heart racing up against her chest. She couldn't look anywhere else than Regina's eyes.

"I think she never wanted to be 'the fairest of them all'" the girl thought about how racist that statement was. Having a skin white as snow doesn't actually seem such an attractive thing to Emma, even as her own skin was almost like that.

"She probably just wanted to be loved. Maybe she just wanted stop living under the shadows of a dead woman, who was remembered every day because of the girl. Then, the Queen just freaked out and tried to get rid of the problem." Emma paused as Regina stopped in front of her. Even with everybody staring at them, it felt like there were only the two women in the entire world in that moment. "I think that is the point about of the 'villains': they just want to be happy. And when they don't know how to act, they just lose their minds and do some shitty things."

"Class dismissed."

Their gazes kept locked and Emma felt a terrible discomfort about that, but just couldn't break the eye contact. There was _so much_ inside those dark orbs... They were intense, emotional. It was like looking directly to the woman soul.

And then, in a blink of eyes, Regina was gone, leaving a puzzled Emma behind.

* * *

"Why are we still stuck on this crap of fairy tales? It has been tree weeks of this and I still have no idea about how this can be useful."

A devious smile spread across the professor's face as she throaty chuckled with the question. She sat on the desk with a perfect posture without any kind of support on her back, crossed legs, palms resting over her thighs.

"What is fantasy, Mr. Grumple?"

A bearded guy with grumpy face shrugged his shoulders. "Silly stories from imagination?"

The obvious answer made Regina's smile wider than before, revealing perfect white teeth. The woman looked like a predator playing with its chase before killing it.

_Uh, oh... Not good..._

"_Exactly_. But, more than that: fantasy is everything that express some desire, conscious or not. Reading a book is more than just reading a story. It's also reading it's author. The Literature, as an art, it's the product of thoughts and human emotions and feelings. It's the product of human _desires_." She made a pause while she walked around the room, not even her heels making any noise.

"Those so claimed "Fairy Tales", Mr. Grumple, are more than just bedtime stories." She wryly chuckled at her own words. "Each one of the _original _stories is way too darkened and painful that the ones that are told nowadays. They express the desire of a better life, of hope. They are the way their authors found to keep going with their miserable lives. A way to keep dreaming."

The woman now had a shade of something on her features. It was almost possible to _see_ the dark aura around her. It was both creepy and fascinating.

"We are studying what lies beneath the surface, behind the beauty curtain that hides the true meaning of the Fantasy." She made a pause, looking out the window in some kind of trance. "Besides, you have to learn stop thinking like everybody else thinks. You have to get out of common sense. Stop knowing only what everybody knows. Otherwise, what's the point of your life? If you don't do anything new to the world, you are nothing but useless."

"The study of fantastic literature it's one of the ways to explore new possibilities, new worlds. Even though through someone else's eyes and words."

It took a moment to Emma absorbed what she had just heard. Regina's voice broke through her more than just from her ears: it crossed her skin, infiltrate on her blood, ran through her veins and fill her heart in such a way that she wasn't prepared to admit.

Listen such passionate speech made the girl remember why she had signed to that class: she loved the literature. More than that, she needed it. She _felt_ the words on the books more than she _read_ them.

Reading was the only way she could found to keep away from the cold reality. Growing on the foster system could take anyone's hope. And the books were the only true friends she had almost her entire life. Whenever the real world was too much to bare, she could open a book and just let herself sink on the stories.

When everything seemed to be wrong. When she got beat for doing something wrong. When somebody tried to touch her. When any sound around was a scream or a cry. When nothing lest made sense. That's when Emma could only count on the comfort of a book. That's when she needed to escape the most.

Before she could run away, the only thing she could do was reading.

Maybe this class wouldn't be _so_ boring as she first thought… Maybe she could do something more than just push the teacher's buttons… Maybe this could be an opportunity to find that part of herself that was long missing…

_Just maybe..._

* * *

Emma walked through the Campus towards the library without thinking what she was doing. She had a few hours before the next class and nothing special to do.

She took a sit next to the window, watching Belle put the books on the shelves. The brunette looked being drawned in such a happines that was hard not smiling at the sight. She hummed a song and even seemed to dance, sometimes.

It was weird that such a sweet person was married with the most vile man Emma had the displeasure to meet. Oh, well… Love is weird, after all.

Averting her gaze from the cheerie woman, and let her thoughts being guided by her concerns. Many bills and no money. She closed her eyes, dropping her head behind, supported by the chair's backboard.

Why things couldn't be easy at least one time on her damn life? Since she was a baby she had to fight nail and teeth just to survive. Each day seemed heavier them the one before. The things got a little better on the last couple years, for sure.

Despite all the odds, here she was. A college girl. She had a scholarship, an apartment, a car… A _stolen_ car. Not that anybody needed to know that.

Emma had been in so much worst situations… And, yet, that didn't make anything easier now.

She needed extra cash…

The sound of heels against the library's floor caught the blonde's attention. She lifted her head, looking around to find where the sound came from. That area was practically empty (that was why the girl choose to sit there, in the first place) so it wasn't hard to see the pretty woman with an huge book pile on her arms.

Emma smiled at the sight of Regina moving with such elegance, even overloaded. Brown eyes met green ones as they locked gazes. The teacher walked towards a desk near to where the blonde was sitting, placing the pile over the wooden table.

"Miss Swan" It was a low, polite greeting.

"Regina."

Emma watched with curious eyes as the brunette started separate the books over the table.

"I'm curious, Miss Swan. What makes you think you can call me by my first name?"

A wicked grin formed on the blonde's lips as she remained silent.

"Help?" the girl asked after a while.

The brunette's face twitched in a confused look before Emma pointing to the books with her chin, arms crossed over her chest. "They seem to be heavy. It's not like I've got anything better to do, anyway." She added with a careless shrugged of shoulders.

After a moment, Regina grabbed a pile and pointed the other one with a tilt of her head, letting a third small one on the table. Without a word, the brunette walked away.

The blonde deeply sighed before grabbing the books and following the woman. She read the title of the first one. _The fire bird_. A hard-covered book with golden letters that flashed while Emma fast-walked to catch Regina.

They walked in silent until stop in front of a door with a golden plaque with dark letters that said "Regina Mills. Headmaster."

The girl raised a brow in surprise.

"How old are you?" They walked inside the office and Emma looked around with curious eyes.

There was a huge dark-wooden bookshelf covering the whole left wall. The room was swamp in natural light provide from an enormous window placed behind the elegant dark-wooden desk. A black leather couch was placed next the right wall and a big carpet covered the most part of the floor. There were books all over the place, but everything seemed being placed _exactly_ where they were supposed to be.

No fucking way that that office belonged to a common teacher. The place was too big and too elegant for that.

"Excuse me?" The voice snapped Emma from her thoughts and the girl watched Regina put the books over the desk and separate them one more time.

"The plaque says headmaster. You look a little young to being a College teacher, even more to a directorship." She shrugged before walked toward the desk handing over the books to Regina.

"In deed, I'm younger than many of my colleagues in such position." She nodded before turning to face the blonde and grab the pile. "But that was just result of hard work and… _luck_, I think.

Emma hummed in an understanding way, turning to face the titles on the table. All of them were hard-covered e some had a leather coat. The most of them looked too old, but surprising well preserved.

The girl took the one that was on top of the pile she brought there. She perused it slowly. The pages were yellow because of the time and smelled like… Oh, man… It was an intoxicating smell from old books. It was just like heaven. The girl allowed herself sense the rich scent of leather and old pages, smiling with the wave of pleasure that took her body.

She carefully placed the book back and turned to Regina, who was placing the books on the shelves. She watched the woman's body stretching to put a book on one of the higher shelves, bending a bit forward in a way that made the hem of the skirt up on her thighs and the fabric tightened around her ass. It was quite a vision.

"Can you help me here?"

The girl looked up, trying to understand what to do. She took a pile on her arms and walked toward the brunette.

"You didn't answer my question."

"What question?" Dark brown eyes locked with emerald green ones and Emma struggled to not take one more step into Regina's personal space.

"How old are you?"

The corners of the woman's mouth turned up in an almost smile. Green eyes focused on red lips without noticing she was biting her own lips.

"That, Miss Swan, is none of your business. Your parents never thought you how indelicate asking a woman her age?"

The girl snorted "I thought this was a rule only to old ladies. If that's the case, tell me what magic you did to keep that rocking body."

The woman pointed a small stair near the window to Emma pick.

Somebody knocked and, even without Regina saying the person to come in, an elegant beautiful woman of fifty-and-some years opened the door and stepped inside the office. The motionless face made Emma wonder if the lady was a Botox addicted, but the age marks, although few, said the opposite.

"Professor. I'm glad I _finally_ found you here." Despite the smooth voice, Emma felt a shiver coming down her spine in an unpleasant way.

"Vice rector. What brings you here?" Regina's voice was so full of distaste that the girl almost laughs of the changing on the professor's behaved. It wasn't easy testifying this attitude coming from the poised woman.

"The reports about this semester's classes."

"They are almost finished. I'll send them until five o'clock by email."

"I particularly prefer a printed file, if it's possible."

Emma noticed the tension between the two of them and was afraid something could explode in any moment. It was like watching a who-blinks-first-extreme-level contest. It would be funny if it wasn't so creepy.

Regina shortly nodded and the older woman exited the office without another single word. The blonde let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"Man… Wow… Who was the bitch?"

Regina remained still staring the closed door.

"My mother."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_The cold night came without warning in the middle of the spring. The wind was atypically strong and a few icy droplets hit the ground with no sound. Threes sang lonely sad melodies as the Moon refused to shown up. It was Her first night off and she would take it gratefully. Who would say that the Moon likes to be alone? Such a beautiful thing hiding like that… Almost a shame the way she deny to the eyes the pleasure of admiring Her exquisite form and light._

_She would argue, saying that all she did was stole a few Sun's shines. She would say she wasn't worthy of the compliments. She would try to hide again. And, shyly, would appear once more. Just to keep the eternal circle of Her life._

_When everything was dark, She could came out and relax a little bit without so many people saying how gorgeous she was. She preferred the darkness, the loneliness. She thinks she is fake material and, any time someone tries to tell her otherwise, she brings the darkness once more and refuses to let anybody to see her real form._

_The Moon. The Queen of the night._

* * *

"_Girls night? ;D"_

Emma sighed as she read the text.

"_No money. :("_

"_My apartment. U bring the movies."_

"_TGIF. Not any big plans?"_

"_No money."_

"_lol. What bout Woodie?"_

"_I wanna spend a little time with my friend."_

"_Rly?"_

"_Yup. And he's working."_

"_I knew it! What time?"_

"_I'm already home."_

"_Gimme 40 min."_

"_I'll give you 10."_

The blonde shook her head in amusement. Well… At least she wouldn't spend the whole weekend alone. Just a part of it.

* * *

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"You hugged me, Em. And we both know _you're not _a touching person." Ruby rolled her pretty blue eyes and shrugged.

"I always hug you."

"No, you don't. Besides, you gave me your I'm-not-okay hug."

Emma raised an eyebrow in question. "My what?"

The brunette gave her a short smile. "Your I'm-not-okay hug. You have 3 kinds of them, ya'know? When you wrap both hands around the person's neck it's your I'm-here-for-you hug. You do it when you feel protective about other." Rubes frowned a bit, trying to remember the last time she saw her friend doing it. "Then, when you put one arm around the neck and the other one around the waist, I call it the buddy-hug. This one you do when you're happy or tipsy. Normally, both." The girl chuckles remembering their meeting at the bar some weeks ago. "And the last one but no less important: the one you allow the person embrace you. You wrap your hands around the person's waist and burry your face on their neck. That's your I'm-not-okay hug. It comes when you need something are when you feel blue. So, spit it out. What's the matter?"

The blonde blinked to her friend without saying a word. She never realized that hug-thing herself and was more than just a little surprised that someone else did. Even though that person was her best friend. The girl was so used to being alone and nobody giving a damn about her that was a bit scaring that thing of reading her emotions with nothing more than a hug.

Emma shook her head and sighed. "I don't know." She sank on the couch with a frown. "How do you know that hug-thing?"

Ruby chuckled sitting next the other girl. "I'm good reading people."

_And I'm good at hiding my emotions._

"Yeah. But I've nothing to be read. As you said, I'm not a touching person."

"That's what makes you such an interesting material." Ruby answered with a wicked grin.

"Hm…"

Emma didn't like it. She felt exposed, despite the fact she'd being trying to let the tall woman in. The blonde still wasn't sure about this friendship: it was the first time since _him_ she was letting anyone get closer. It wasn't easy to her to trust.

She learned fast that trust equals faith. And faith, most of the times, equals disappointment. The few times she had trusted someone, the person made sure to let her down. All her foster parents. All the few friends she had. _Him_. Even her biological parents abandoned her…

Everybody left her at some point.

She was trying to let Ruby in because she was tired of being completely alone. And because the girl was good at making Emma feels good. Sometimes the brunette seemed to act just like a loyal puppy and it was hard not liking or didn't want her around. She felt like a sister. Ruby got Emma's back and proved being trustworthy many times by now: she was the one who told her about the apartment, the scholarship _and_ got her a job as waitress at her grandma's diner. It didn't last long, but still…

Emma could only be grateful to all what Ruby had done to her. Yet, she couldn't give her all the trust she wanted. That was far beyond her capacities…

"What are we watching tonight?"

"I'm in a mood for a teen movie."

"I could use a few laughs."

"I know, right? I need stop my brain for a while." Emma let out a heavy sigh.

"I know that feeling." Ruby tapped the blonde's thigh with a sweet smile then grabbed the DVD case from Emma's lap.

As the time passed and the second movie ended, both girls were sleeping on the couch. They felt comfortable with each other and this wasn't the first time they shared this kind of moment. Emma could not being the touching type, but she couldn't deny that she liked those moments.

They felt easy. They felt… safe.

* * *

"What's up?"

Regina lifted her eyes from the book she was reading and looked at the blonde figure in tank top and jeans standing at the door of her office. She pressed her lips in a thin line of displeasure and waved a hand in a movement that said the girl to take a seat.

"Miss Swan." She nodded in a short greeting.

"You wanted to see me?" Emma asked, carelessly sitting on the chair in front of Regina's desk.

"I read your paper about the Fairytales." The professor's face was unreadable.

"So…?" The girl shrugged.

"I think you have a quite unique point of view about fantasy." Resting her elbows on the arms of the chair, crossing fingers bellow her chin in contemplation.

"Your point?" Emma frowned a little, unsure about where this conversation was leading to.

The woman leaned back, resting her back. Arms now resting over her lap. Emma couldn't help grinning at the sight.

_She acts like a Queen. An Evil Queen._

"Did you notice that you didn't say anything but questions since you got in here?" The woman raised a brow in question.

"Any problem with that?" The grin spread even more on the blonde's face when she answered with another question, this time in purpose.

The brunette tilted her head with an almost imperceptible frown on her features. She wasn't sure if the girl had done that with intention and, if it was, what were her motives to do so. Dark-hazel eyes carefully studied the pale girl: face, posture, words and tone.

"Are we finished?" the student asked again.

"I want you to rewrite your paper."

"Why?" Not good. There was no fucking reason for her to redoing something she _knew_ it was good enough.

"I want you to write about one specific story."

"What's the problem with my paper?"

"None. It's a good work, actually." Regina forced a smile. The woman liked the girl's worked, in deed. However, she wasn't used to compliment anybody. She certainly didn't even remember ever complimenting a student.

"So what's the point?"

Regina grinned when she noticed the anger on the blonde's voice. She rose to her feet, walking around the desk toward the monumental bookcase. Emma watched her carefully as the brunette reached a hard covered book in one of the higher shelves. This time, the student had no intent to pay attention to the body, but to the actions.

The girl recognized the cover before the professor handed it over to her. It looked like a very expensive book to just trust it to a student, she suspiciously thought.

"I want you to write a paper about _this_ book, Miss Swan."

Emma huffed, shifting uncomfortably on her sit. She didn't want to do that. There was no logical reason on doing so.

"Is this some kind of punishment?"

The devious chuckled that came from red lips was enough to answer the question. "Actually, it's an opportunity. But if you think that you need to be punished for your horrendous behavior, who am I to say the opposite?"

"What if I don't do it?" Emma got up and walked slowly toward the brunette.

"That's your choice, dear." Remaining still, she offered a wolfy-grin. An evil bright crossed intense dark eyes. "But, if you don't want to fail in my class, you shall do what I say so."

Emma fought the urgency of punching that pretty little face and, instead of giving the bitch any reasons to expel her, she just clenched her jaw and fists until her knuckles were without any healthy color.

She turned back to the brunette and walked toward the door.

"And, Miss Swan?"

She stiffed with a hand placed on the knob without turning back.

"I must remind you that _I'm _the one who runs this place. So, if you think about quitting my classes this semester to try a new teacher next time, I assure you that I will personally make sure that I'll be the only one available to teach this class." Regina's voice was calm, cold and fill of such a polite threat that gave the blonde chills. "Am I clear?"


	4. Chapter 4

"_I must remind you that I'm the one who runs this place. So, if you think about quitting my classes this semester to try a new teacher next time, I assure you that I will personally make sure that I'll be the only one available to teach this class." Regina's voice was calm, cold and fill of such a polite threat that gave the blonde chills. "Am I clear?"_

Emma slammed the door on her way out, making her answer loud and clear. She held the book with much more force than what was necessary. She felt a need increasing inside her. She felt like fighting. Since that wasn't an option, she needed run.

At her apartment, she changed her jeans for legging shorts and her boots for sneakers. She tossed the book on the bed, almost throwing it out the window. She knew better, though.

She locked the place and let her feet do the rest of the job. She wanted to run away. She wanted to leave everything behind her. She wanted to punch Regina in the face until her fists were covered in blood. She wanted to scream until her lungs couldn't handle anymore.

Violence never was a solution for her problems. She wasn't a violent person. She knew how to defend herself, yeah. That's because she always _needed_ to. But this anger, this hunger for blood? This wasn't her. Even if the professor deserved.

Sweat stared forming on her hairline when she reached the beach. Her lungs were burning. Her heart was fast inside her chest. Her legs were aching.

She wasn't tired, though. Anger. That's what she was feeling. So much work for what? All those years fighting to be better. All the time spent studying to be able to win scholarships. The desire of being smart enough so somebody would like her, would want her. The bitter… The need of being loved and then the needing of surviving.

In name of "love", she allowed herself being dragged to a life she didn't want. In name of surviving, she kept in that life when she got lost.

In name of "love", she lost her innocence. She lost her joy. She lost her pride. In name of surviving, she lost her love. She lost hope.

All Emma knew was about losing.

And now, when she finally stood up on her own feet, this woman was standing on her way, threatening take her chance of a future away in name of a sick power game.

That woman… Emma felt the nausea growing up when she remembered Regina's words, the icy tone. She felt dizzy and she remembered Regina's regal poise sitting on that chair. She felt the air refusing to enter her lungs when she remembered the way Regina called her. She screamed when she remembered how just a few days ago she thought she could admire that woman.

And then she felt on her knees. Wet sand cutting pale skin. Tears coming down what now were red cheeks.

No control. No power. No choices.

She fought so hard all her life for _this? _She never let anyone ruled her life like that for being played with like a puppet?

No. She wouldn't give up so easy.

_My life, my rules. _Nobody_ will change that. Not even Regina Mills. _Mostly _not__ Regina Mills._

The cold water hit her sweaty hot skin almost like a blessing. It was her ritual after running, after all: an ice-cold shower. It made her feel alive. It made her self-conscious of her body.

Hot showers were for relaxing. Cold ones were to shake her up.

When she needed calm down, hot water. When she needed to feel alive, cold it was.

She controlled her breath before got her head under the shot, washing he long hair. She smiled to herself, grateful for the good DNA. Emma couldn't say much about her biological parents, but they _had_ good genes. The girl could eat _anything_ without problem to her skin, hair or weight. Her working out helped a lot, yeah, but wasn't enough to make her curls so nice without spending lots of money and her skin so clean without the right products. Not with the way she used to eat, at least.

After all, Emma ate like a broke college girl. And she liked it.

She laid on the bed, the book on her lap. Regina wouldn't be in her way. The woman already was under her fucking skin. The girl wouldn't step back. If that meant play the professor games for a while, so she would play.

* * *

It took less than two day to Emma return to Regina's office, storming inside it without even knocking the door to toss the damn paper and the fucking book over that imposing desk.

"Here. Enjoy it." The girl barked before turning her back to the woman and slamming the door shut once more.

Despite the hate and disgust running furiously through her veins, the blonde attended to Regina's class that day. She was stronger than the bitch thought. She could handle the woman quite well.

Regina glared at Emma and gave the girl a smile of triumph. It had been a long time since anyone had dull her like that. So much time that, in fact, she couldn't recall when that happened. If had ever happened. Maybe, the brunette thought, she finally had found someone worthy to play with.

When the class was dismissed, Emma didn't waist a second at Regina's presence.

It took less than a day, though, until she found herself at the brunette's office one more despicable time.

This time, however, she didn't allow herself being so pissed. At least, that was what she tried to do.

The knock on the door was firm, despite her shaky hands. She took a deep breath before coming in.

"Miss Swan. What a pleasure." The tone was so polite that Emma couldn't help herself.

"Cut the crap, Regina." The girl snapped out. Those were the longest ten seconds of self-control in her entire life. "What do you want?"

The smile on the brunette's face widener as she rose to her feet, her eyes never leaving infuriating green one.

"I read your paper, Miss Swan."

"Are we having this conversation _again_?" The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Because I've better things to do than hear you bitching all over me."

"Oh, I'm sure you do." It was fun enough watch the girl losing her temper so easy to Regina mind the sore language of the girl. "Like fooling around with sailors and learning such good manners and improving your vocabulary, right?"

"Is that it? You called me here to insult me?"

"Actually, is exactly the opposite: I've called you to offer you a job, Miss Swan."

"What?" Emma's brows almost got into her hairline with surprise.

The professor chuckled wryly as she observed the blonde's body language.

"As you must know, some teachers are able to choose a student to work with them as a trainee. In my position, I am included on the 'benefit'. And I choose you, Miss Swan. If you are interested, of course."

"Why?" This was way too suspicious for the blonde just accept it.

"As I said earlier, I read your papers." Regina answered with a polite smile. It was way too difficult compliment students. "And I know you are in the scholarship program. Working for me can give you an opportunity of raise a more money. Besides, it would be a wonderful thing to add at your Curriculum."

When Emma said "I'd rather starving to death", she meant it. The girl had been there. She knew all too well what starvation looked like: it was a thing she wouldn't wish not even for her worst enemies. She still could remind those horrible days when she laid on the cold night air and closed her eyes wishing for the sleep come so she wouldn't feel her stomach ache. The nights when she wished that sleep would come and she would never have to wake up again.

Yeah… She knew what she had said.

Regina let out a heavy, dramatic sigh before she spoke again.

"Your choice, Miss Swan. And, if I may add, your loss."

She walked toward the student into her personal space. "I think it would be nice work with someone so… _interesting_."

"I must say that the feeling is not mutual, _Professor_. I would say that I'm sorry but, you see, I am not. Have a good day."

She turned her back at the woman, making her way out of the office. At least for this one time, she wasn't restrained for the woman's voice and she was grateful for that.

If things kept this way, Emma would need new sneakers way too soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **_**Hello, dearies! First of all: THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! And for reading this. I'm really happy that you seem liking it, 'cuz write is the thing I love doing the most. And it's awesome that someone likes it.**_

_**Second: the first part of this chapter was inspired in a real fairytale that my sister used to read to me when I was a kid. I don't remember the name or the origin of it, so I just kept the name I had in my mind.**_

_**Third: YES, I have an objective with that first part. And it will be revealed on the next chapters.**_

_**I hope you like it!**_

The fire bird

Once upon a time, in a far kingdom, there was a powerful Queen. She was a beautiful woman who ruled her domains with strong hands. She used to be fair on her decisions, but never hesitated passing through anything or anyone to get what she wanted.

Inside of her castle, in the middle of the most gorgeous garden anyone ever seen, there was an apple tree. It wasn't just a common tree, as you may think. No… It was a magical one. It was such an interesting thing that their fruits weren't red, but golden. Those were the most delicious, the sweetest and prettiest apples that ever existed.

The Queen was very proud of it and she never allowed anyone to touch the tree, nor eat one of its precious fruits. She, herself, only had tasted it one in every few months.

It was the best thing she had _ever_ done.

Some night, a mystical creature showed up on her garden: the fire bird was an amazing being with red, orange and golden feathers that seemed to being in flames as it flew around the place. Even in the darkest nights, anywhere the bird was around was illuminated by its red-golden natural shine. It flew around the tree and pecked the Queen's loved golden apples.

Consumed by the rage, the Queen sent her best men to capture the bird, finding out that all of them had miserably failed the task: the creature kept coming every single night and no one could catch it.

The Queen grew more and more frustrated every day until she started a campaign: the one who was able the capture the fire bird would be rewarded with a big treasure and, maybe, the Queen would even consider marrying the gentleman.

Since the prize was attractive enough by itself, being married with one of the most exquisite woman they had ever heard about (who also happened to be a queen) seemed to be a very interesting bonus.

So, many men tried. Night after night. And all of them had the same end: they failed.

They came from all the lands known, even the ones across the oceans. And no matter how strong, fast or clever they were, the bird always seemed to be better than they.

The woman was already getting hopeless when a Knight wearing a silver armor that shined so bright that it looked white came in one day requesting a private meeting with the Queen.

"I can catch the bird, Your Majesty." He said under his helmet. "But I'll need two things."

The powerful woman raised one eyebrow in question, the rest of her face absolutely expressionless.

"What is it?" It was fair question.

"I'll need a cage, naturally. One made of pure gold, or the creature will be able to escape."

"Very well. And the second thing?"

"I'll need one of your apples."

"Absolutely not!" She said with angry.

"Then, excuse me. I don't have any other thing to do here. And the bird will _never_ go away." The White Knight knelt if front of the Queen and then turned around, heading the chamber's door.

The woman made a gesture with her hand and the doors shut closed. An apple to save her tree… Sounded reasonable enough.

"Great! You thought about it. Now, I have two conditions."

"The reward was clear, dear: a treasure and, maybe, me."

"About that… I'm not interested. And I think it's horrible of yours to offer your own body as a prize like that. I would expect more self-respect from a queen."

The brunette stiffed, the anger boiling inside her.

"How dare you?"

"Well… I'm just saying what I truly think. Anyway, my price to get you rid of the bird: first, I want you to promise you won't invade my kingdom or start a war, with us _or_ our allies."

"I think that can be arranged, when I found each kingdom is yours."

"You will. Soon. Second, every month you will give me one of your golden apples."

"Have you lost your mind? Absolutely _not_!"

"So, then again, we don't have a deal. Have a good day, Your Majesty."

This time, the Knight just nodded his head in a short motion, turning to the doors one more time and leaving the infuriated woman alone.

* * *

It's funny how people can find comfort just for being in some place: a lake, a tree house, their bedrooms, a strip-club… To Emma Swan, who grew up everywhere and nowhere, this special place was wherever she was surrounded by books. It could be a public library, a bookstore or even an office.

She felt like she could run away to anywhere and physically keep exactly where she was.

That's why she was at the University's Library that day: she was trying to not think, avoiding her internal dilemma: bills to pay versus working for the Devil.

It wasn't an easy task to do, mostly because she was reading that damn book again. It was a good story and the girl felt some kind of connection with it. And, yet, she couldn't help comparing the Queen with Regina. Besides, the teacher was the one who made her read it in the first place.

She growled, closing the book and letting it rest on her lap.

Why she couldn't stop thinking about that woman?

_She looks like an angel, talks like an angel, walks like an angel, but she's a devil in disguise._

_Maybe Evils met Regina and wrote this song for her. Who knows? Probably not. But, yeah. It would make sense. It describes her perfectly._

"Excuse, me. I'm sorry interrupting you, but I need some help."

Emma looked at the woman standing in front of her desk: big green eyes, black pixie-hair, pale skin, small pink lips. She had this sweet smile like she was apologizing. It was almost like she had an aura around her.

"Yeah, sure. What do you need?"

"I offered to help Belle putting some books back on the shelves, but they are too many and I need help carrying them."

She slightly blushed while she was talking, sometimes even avoiding look at the girl. It was something cute and the blonde felt sympathy by the woman.

"I'm Mary Margaret Blanchard."

"Emma Swan. I'll just return this book and I'll be right back, ok?"

"Thank you _so much_!"

The girl offered a smile then walked away with this strange feeling that she already knew that woman.

* * *

"What are you studying?"

Emma handed a book to the brunette, thinking about the question.

"I don't know yet. I'm taking a few classes in different areas to know what I would like to do. What I do know is that I love reading. And that I'm not good being in a place for much long time."

"Oh! Maybe you should try journalism, then."

The girl chuckled. "Yeah… Maybe. What about you?"

"I'm a teacher here."

"Oh, yeah! Right! That's where I know you from! A friend of mine had classes with you last semester. Literature I. She said you are a good teacher."

"Aw… How sweet! Thank you for telling me that."

"No problem."

They worked in silence for a few minutes before Mary Margaret spoke again.

"I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but are you ok?"

The blonde seemed surprised by the question.

"Yeah. All good. Why?"

"Well… It's just that you seemed a little… I don't know… Sad. And angry. Before I ask you for help."

"Oh… It's nothing. Just some problems."

"Anything I can help?"

The girl stopped, looking at the woman with a bit of suspicious and curiosity. She wasn't used to open up like that, but there was something about her that Emma couldn't understand. It was this gut feeling that she could talk with this woman.

"Dunno… It's just… There is this job I was offered the other day. And I really need the money."

"So… What's the problem?"

"The boss."

"Hmm… I see… There aren't any other options?"

Emma shook her head, still trying to figure it out how she was able to talk about it with a complete stranger.

"Nope. I even tried the library, but I can't work at the shift they need 'cuz of my classes."

"That's bad…" The woman looked genuinely sad about what the girl just told her.

"Yeah…"

The blonde sighed heavily then smiled a bit. They finished their task a few minutes later and the brunette offered a drink as a "thank you" gesture.

"I didn't know that teachers could drink with students."

"Oh! They can't. But, well… I'm not _your_ teacher. And I was thinking about a non-alcoholic drink. Something more likes a soda or hot chocolate."

The girl chuckled and shrugged.

"So, yeah. I mean, why not?"

"Good!"

* * *

"My point is: the movie has no point!"

Mary Margaret laughed at the excitement of the girl. They were discussing about philosophy and cinema and suddenly the subject was the Matrix trilogy.

"The first one is all about Plato!"

"Yeah, but the sequence has no point!"

"You are right. What about Narnia?"

"Also Plato. Great books, by the way. _However_, the movies are just about magic and adventure… They didn't show the philosophy behind it and… Ok, it's entertaining, but I felt the lack of the original objective of the stories."

"Interesting. How do you see this objective?"

"Well… There are two Narnias. The one that is like the shadows of Plato's cave and the one that represents the real one. And Aslam is the character that represents god. I think the scene I like the most is the one where he is creating Narnia… It's, literally, pure magic! I like that they didn't make a movie of that pat, ya'know? I really love the picture I created in my mind for that."

The brunette laughed again.

"I know that feeling. I think the same. I'm afraid they could change something and ruined the whole thing to me."

They smiled at each other. It was nice having this kind of conversation.

"You know that job I told you?"

"Yes. What about it?"

"Regina offered it. She wants me to work for her."

"Wow! Regina Mills?" The girl nodded. "That's impressive. She never did it before, so you must have really impressed her."

The blonde rolled her eyes.

"Meh… But she's… Tough to deal with."

"Tell me about it… She always blocks my suggestions and gives me the worst classes…" Mary Margaret looked upset because of her colleague. "But she's a great professional. That could be good to your career. Working for her for a few months, I mean." She added fast, like if Regina could show up and hear her talking something bed about her.

"The problem is: I feel like Andrea and she is like Miranda."

"The Devil's wears Prada. Funny reference."

"Thanks."

"I can see why she chooses you."

"Thanks again. And, yet… All she has been doing is being a bitch with me."

"And I bet you are a saint and never provokes her." A mocked grin increased the sarcasm on Mary Margaret's voice.

"Well… I think you have a point."

"I would offer you a job myself, just for hearing that she called you. But I can't. So, the best thing I can do for you is give you this friendly advice: the most of the bosses you'll ever have are like Regina. They will push you and humiliate you. It will never be easy to deal with them. So, if you can't defeat them… _Or_ you can keep looking for something else. You _will _find it, eventually. But you have to keep in mind that it can be worse than the offer you already have. You have to ask yourself: it is worthy? What will I gain with this? Only you can answer this, Emma. Besides, if things turn into a living nightmare, you can always quit."

Emma listened to those words very carefully.

She still didn't want to accept it. But now she saw the situation a bit different.

Now, she considered it more than just money: it was also a career opportunity.

She could learn a lot working for Regina. She was aware of it. But she would have to follow her rules…

_Or she could make her own ones…_


	6. Chapter 6

_After a whole month, the majestic tree was almost without apples and the bird was still free. The Queen was getting more volatile than ever: any little thing was a reason for her to explode and scream with everybody. The executions were more and more often. The citizens started to hide and avoid the streets, afraid to meet one of the guards and being arrested for some silly reason._

_The Knight was called. This madness should stop._

"_So, your Majesty, are you ready to pay my price?"_

_The woman found it was curious that the man never took his helmet off, but decided it wasn't something worthy of comment._

"_Yes, I am. I'll not start a war with your kingdom or your allies. And you will have one apple every six months."_

_The man crossed his arms over his chest and the Queen wished she could see his face._

"_That's not my condition."_

"_That's what I'm willing to offer."_

"_So I'm going to turn it down."_

"_And I'll declare war against your people."_

_The man laughed and his armor made a metallic sound that echoed around the chamber._

"_Interesting threat. Tell me: who do you pretend doing it since you don't know where I came from or who I am?"_

_Now she really wanted to see the man's face._

"_Well… I guess then I'll just kill you. And _then_ find out who you are and destroy your land."_

"_And lose your only chance of saving your loved tree? I don't think so. You know… When the last fruit fall, the magic will be gone. And the tree will die. I'm your only chance to save it and you know it. Otherwise, you wouldn't have called me."_

_The woman despised being played like that, but she was aware that the stranger was right. She had tried everything. That was her last chance._

"_Ok. One apple each month. If it doesn't work, I'll _personally_ execute you. And I guarantee you that it will be no mercy and a lot of blood and pain. Do you understand me?"_

_He nodded then knelt, showing her his respect._

"_Please, clean the garden. I don't want anybody around when the bird come tonight. And I must warn you: this will take time. But I assure you that, when the moon becomes full again, I'll have the bird locked in that cage."_

"_You see, patience isn't one of my virtues."_

"_Oh! So do you have any of those?"_

"_How dare you? I must remind you that you are in no position to talk to me like that!"_

"_Actually, I am. We are equals here, Milady. Liking you that or not. If you excuse me now, I'll get ready to catch the fire bird. Be sure that _nobody_ will be there tonight. Don't worry about the apple I'll need. I will get it directly from the tree."_

* * *

The thing about college is: they are _never_ as you want them to be. You dream about it your whole life (and most of those dreams are about parties and sex, thanks to teen movies). You expect it to be the most amazing thing your will ever being through. You think what you'll study and how you'll be an adult when you get there.

And then the dream turns into a nightmare: a lot of bills, no money, no parties, no sex and a lot of work to do. Seriously. You have to do your best and, sometimes, that's not enough. Turns out that being an adult is not as fun as it looks like when you are a kid. It pretty much sucks, actually…

And, yet, the college _is_ one of the best parts of someone's life. With all the difficult, all the problems… It can be a very special time to find out who you are. It's when you are old enough to figure it out what you want and young enough to make mistakes that will hunt you forever. And that's ok, because everybody hides something in their closets. Not necessarily a skeleton. It also could be pot, or maybe a one night standing with their best friends… Who knows?

What Emma Swan hides in hers? I think we could say she has a walk-in closet. That is more like a changing room. That she locked up and tried to threw the keys away. And that those mistakes were made way before she went to college.

That's what made the girl so self-conscious and responsible at her early days of adulthood. Even with the reckless attitude. That was just a show. Deep down she knew what she had to do and she tried to avoid problems the much she could.

That's, of course, before she met Regina Mills.

Since their paths crossed two months before, Emma saw herself _willing_ to make mistakes. She was aware that she should just stay quiet and let this semester ends.

But _nooooo_. She _had_ to piss that woman of in any single opportunity. And she _had_ to prove her point. And now, there she was, standing on that pompous office and taking that job. Just to make it clear that she wasn't a puppet and she could play somebody else's game.

_This is a bad idea_, she told herself. But it was already too late for that.

"I see you made up your mind, Miss Swan." Again that victorious smirk. The blonde decided she hated it, even if that woman looked all too sexy when she did it.

"Yeah… But here's the thing: no ridiculous tasks, like picking your laundry up or taking care of your cat."

"I don't have a cat, dear." The brunette looked amused with the way the girl was talking to her. That would be so easy…

"Whatever. I'm here to work _with_ you. I'm not your slave or something like that."

Regina's smile widener when some mischievous thought crossed her mind.

"Of course not. I'm paying you, after all. But you are wrong: you work _for_ me. But there's no reason to concern. I'm very reasonable _and_ professional." Then she got serious. "And I must to say that I expect nothing less from you, Miss Swan. That means that, for now on, I don't want you to be late for your schedules. You seem to be very comfortable in not being punctual, but you'll see… That just won't do."

Emma growled, starting to regret her decision less than ten minutes after she had taken the job.

"And you must work on your behavior, young lady. Have you ever heard the word _respect_?" The professor asked with an annoyed expression.

"As I said, I'm not your slave. I can get in time, but you have no word about my manners. I'll respect you when you start respecting me."

Regina frowned at this statement. It wasn't usual someone treating her like that. And, yet, she couldn't say she didn't like it at all.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Swan."

"I don't see a ship, _Professor. _Or a desk._"_

"Don't worry. I'll get something set for you tomorrow. Unfortunately, by the University's rules, you have to work at the same place as your supervisor."

"Why is that?" The blonde felt uncomfortable about that and curious about the rule.

"Something to do with an accident at the chemistry lab a few years ago…"

Emma burst into laughter imagining some explosion and the kid with his face all covered with ashes. Since nobody got hurt, it was hilarious to think about it.

"Sorry about that. It's just…" The girl laughed again.

Regina waited with a bored face, rolling her eyes at the student.

"Are you done, dear?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

"So, you officially start tomorrow. Now get out of my office. Enjoy your last day off."

"That was rude." The blonde frowned.

The brunette offered a polite smile and no apology. The girl sighed then walked away, thinking about what had just happened. She remembered Mary's words. If everything goes wrong, quit. Simply like that.

But she's not a quitter. And that could be a problem…

_Too little, too late I guess…_

That would be a long, looong journey… And she had no clue what she would find in the end of the road. It could be unicorns and rainbows. Probably, it would be something more like the hell and she would get burn. But, hey, a girl can dream, right?

* * *

"Rubes!"

The brunette turned on her heels to greet her friend. "Em! What's up, girl?"

The blonde shrugged. "Meh… Same ole, same ole… You know: working, studying, reading, running, planning a murder… Hey, do you know how to hide a body?"

Ruby laughed.

"Since you are not planning kill me, yeah. I think I know a thing or too. I watch CSI, y'know?"

"Good." Emma grinned widely.

"So, what's that for?" The girls finally found an empty table outside of the bar and took a seat.

"Do you know about the University's trainee program?" The blonde asked while calling the waiter.

"Yeah, sure. I tried find something but didn't get any luck." The brunette pouted with those blood-red lips in an exaggerated expression then smiled lightly.

"Well… I got a job." She sighed, looking at those sky-blue eyes. "A beer, please." She glanced at her friend and, after the girl nodded, she added. "Two."

The guy smiled at them. "Of course. Anything else to the pretty ladies?"

The blonde looked him up and down then, with a teasing smile, she answered. "Maybe later."

As he walked away, Ruby hissed in excitement. "Look who's getting lucky more and more! First a job, then the cute waiter… What's next? A new apartment?"

"I wouldn't say the job is something to blame on 'luck'." She sighed again, her good mood suddenly sliding away from her features. She looked tired and upset.

"What's the matter?" Ruby held the pale hand over the table, concern spreading all over her pretty face.

"The boss. I'm working with Regina."

"WHAT?!" The brunette practically screamed in shock. "Em! Are you kidding me? She _never_ hired any student! I mean… EVER!"

The waiter came back with the beers and Emma took a long sip.

"Yeah. I've been told. The thing is: she _asked_ me. Well… More like put a bomb on my lap and said 'Here. Have fun.' I seriously don't get that woman… Probably she just wanna keep punishing me because I'm always late and pushing her buttons or whatever."

"You've been doing WHAT? Emma, are you nuts?!"

The blonde shrugged again and took another sip.

"What?"

"This is _huge_! And I don't think she would give you a chance like that just because she wants to burn you. I mean… This is a big deal."

"Meh…"

Ruby looked at her friend, incredulous about that attitude.

"How can you be so cool with it?"

"Who says I'm _cool_? The woman is known as _The Evil Queen_. She made me rewrite my paper - that was perfect in the first place, if I may add. She _told_ me she did it to punish me. I'm totally not cool with this. That woman is a pain in the ass."

Now the brunette just looked puzzled.

"So why did you take the job?"

"First, I need the money. Second, 'if you can't defeat them…'"

"If you can't defeat them, kill the bastards."

"And call your friend to help hiding the body."

Emma lifted her bottle, in motion of a toast. The brunette followed her lead and they lightly hit their bottles.

"Yeah. But talking seriously now, I had this conversation the other day with Mary Margaret –"

"- Wow! Since when you hang out with the teachers?" The young brunette raised her hands in a motion to stop the blonde, that just laugh at her.

"I don't hang out with them. She was at the library and asked me for help."

"And the girls talk lead at Regina and the job." Ruby raised an eyebrow in a mocking way.

"What? It's easy talking to that woman! She's like a fairy with all that cuteness and the sweet smile. And she's cool. And… Yeah. You have a point. She's a mother. The only thing I know is that in a minute we were putting books on the shelves and then we were talking about Regina and then she bought me a soda and –"

"WHAT? Have you lost your mind?" Ruby leaned over the table and hit the blonde's arm.

"OUTCH! That hurt! Why did you do that?" Emma rubbed her arm then put the bottle over it.

"You are socializing with teachers!"

"So what?! They are people too, Ruby. And it was all friendly, ok? And… Ew. I couldn't think about her like _that_ not even if I wanted to. She has this 'pure' face that totally kills any lady-boner I could have. She just wanted to thank me for helping her. And we talked about philosophy."

The brunette looked incredulous.

"Plus, she talked to me about Regina. It was pretty nice, y'know? She said that could be a good thing to me, since the woman has the connections and she's kind of a badass and stuff…"

"She said _that_?" Her eyes went so big that Emma thought they would just pop out of the brunette's head.

"No! Well, yes. Not with those words, obviously."

"Hm… Are you sure you wanna do this, then?"

"Not really. But it's not like I've many other options…"

Ruby nodded slowly.

"So… I hope the best?" She offered unsure of what to say or thing about this whole situation.

Emma laughed in response before taking other sip of her beer.

"I guess. But hoping is different from expecting, right?"

Ruby laughed and made a face. "Yeah. I think you're right. In any case, you can't count on me to hide that body. I'm trying to stay clean."

The blonde nearly spit her beer out when she burst into laughter this time.

"Ok. I think I can handle it. Any tips?"

"Don't let fingertips on the place. Or on the weapon. And make sure you won't let hair fall on the ground."

"Noted. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

They smiled at each other then took another sip. Emma motioned with her head at the pool table. "Do you wanna play?"

"A monkey wants a banana?"

The blonde winked at her. That night would be a good one. She would enjoy any minute and hope that things wouldn't get messy soon.

If she only knew…


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: Hey, guys! After a comment on one of my posts on Tumblr, I'm adding a warning on this chapter_**

**_This chapter has graphic heterosexual scene. You don't need to skip the whole chapter, just the first part after _The Fire Bird_ story._**

**_There's also violence and mention to an attempt to rape._**

**I hope you like it, though! ;D**

* * *

_Three days had passed and the Queen grew impatient. She tried her best to not bother the Knight the other nights, but as she hadn't heard a single word from the man's progress, she started to wonder if he was really accomplishing what he said he would. The woman soon grew suspicious towards his activities and decided take a look that night._

_There was no moon and no starts at the sky, just the black darkness. Like my soul, she thought sadly as she silent walked through the garden. Memories of her past flashed on her mind. She had tried so hard to be happy… Then everything was taken from her. The only things she had last was her kingdom, her power… And her tree. All the light she had once has gone with the years. She was still too young to have been through what she had, but that didn't change the facts. Her heart was hardened and her soul was blackened._

_The most part of the time, she didn't mind it. She actually liked it: it helped her to deal with the world. She felt like nothing could break her now. She was already broken. She was a phoenix: reborn from the ashes of her suffering, she was now more powerful and stronger than ever. Nothing could destroy her._

_And, yet, she couldn't help those times when she felt sad about how lonely she was. Times like this night, when realization would rip her chest like a rusty knife, burning through her skin slowly. It would tear her apart. The feeling of rejection, of unhappiness… They would run inside her like the most vicious poison, making every cell of her body work on her dead-leaving state._

_She allowed the feelings only when she knew no one could see her. Here, alone in her garden, inside the walls of her castle, waiting on the shadows of a lightless night to see the Knight's progress, it was a safe moment to being vulnerable like this. So, she did. She sank on her thoughts and her feelings while she waited._

_The first thing she noticed was the bright golden-red light sparkling on the sky above her. This is… So fantastic! The Queen was sure she had never seen anything like that. Not even the fireworks at the festivals she planned. This was stunning. Mind-blowing, even. She could actually feel the air becoming warm around her as the bird came closer to her tree. For a few seconds, the anger boiled again when she saw the magical creature pecking one apple and the Queen almost revealed herself and tried to catch it._

_But she froze on her feet when she heard it: it was a melody so pure, so clean… It was like hearing the heaven's songs. The sound made her feel calm and peaceful instantly. She just wanted to watch the colors changing and the flames dancing around its body and hear that song all night long._

_A slow movement toward the tree snapped her from her admiring state. She couldn't see clearly who it was, but she figured it was the Knight. She approached without making any sound, trying to focus on the person and not on the melody or the bright colors._

_The person stalked carefully toward the tree and stopped when the bird stopped singing. He started whistle the same way the bird had just did, lifting an arm as a cue to the creature approach. Instead, tough, the bird stayed still, looking carefully to the intruder. They kept like that for several moments before the person relaxed his arm beside him, not stopping the whistle. He walked back a few steps then sat on the grass, eyes locked with the bird's ones._

_It was a curious scene and the Queen just watched, uncertain if the Knight was crazy or just lazy. She couldn't talk, tough. She just wanted the bird to sing again. Or go away and never peck her apples again. At least, she noticed, the bird was still: no pecking, no flying, no singing. It felt a win situation, since all she wanted the most was her fruit not being attacked._

_Suddenly, when the first red shines painted the sky, the bird flew away and the woman realized she spent the whole night watching them. If somebody asked her what she had in mind, she wouldn't be able to answer. It felt right and wrong, at the same way._

_The only thing she was sure that time was that she wanted to do it again._

* * *

Emma woke up that morning with a warm body pressing against her back and a strong arm around her waist. She remembered when she left the bar with the cute waiter last night and the things they did on her apartment. A mischievous smile spread on her face when she felt something hard poking her ass.

The blonde turn to face the guy and grabbed his cock, moving her hand up and down slowly. He twitched under her, but didn't open his eyes. The girl knelt between strong legs; stopping the hand-job to do a loose ponytail with her hair. She leaned forward, licking the head of it, flavoring the salty taste of hard flesh. The guy moaned and she smirked before putting it on her mouth, letting her tongue travel all over it. She gently grabbed his balls and massaged them with one hand, while the other kept his dick on the right place to suck it.

He opened his eyes, a huge smile on his face.

"I could get used to wake up like this."

She smiled and sucked again, moving her tongue over it, base to head. When she felt he was about to come, she put it out of her mouth and moved her hand in a rapid pace.

"Let me come on your mouth?"

She shook her head and sped up the pace, so he couldn't help coming on her hand. She placed a kiss on his lips, moving her hand slowly up and down on his penis until he stopped coming.

"I'm gonna grab a shower." She said and then got up. "What's your name again?"

He smiled at her. "Graham."

* * *

Emma walked to Regina's office feeling like she was a cow going to the shambles. She was sure that that day was going to be nothing but a pain in the ass. Except, of course, for the beginning of it. She smiled to herself when she remembered Graham's body laid on her bed and the chaste kiss they shared when they left her apartment.

Then she remembered the feeling of his short beard scratching her neck, her legs… His strong and yet gentle hands grabbing her boobs, her ass… The way he moved inside her… She was sure of one thing: that guy _knew_ what he was doing. And she probably would like doing it again with him.

She took a deep breath before knocking on the door. She told herself she wasn't nervous, but hell knows that was a lie. She learned how to be confident of her skills and she already knew Regina enough to have a clue about what this job would be about. But that didn't help making the shivers go away, nor stopping the light dizziness that she felt.

For the first time, she waited the professor give her permission to come in before walking in the office. She was trying to delay the horrible true that was coming get her, sooner or later: she worked for Regina. She worked for the _Evil Queen._ She worked for sexiest woman she ever met. Maybe even the sexiest _person_ she ever met. She worked for one of the biggest bitches she knew. She worked for a powerful woman who wanted to punish her.

"You are late."

"Good morning to you too. And no, I'm not. I'm exactly on time."

Dark-hazel eyes met emerald green ones. Full red lips pursed in a thin line of displeasure. She observed the girl standing on the middle of her office. _Somebody had fun last night._ A perfect eyebrow rose with the thought.

"That's your desk." She pointed with a slim finger, eyes never leaving those green pools. "There's an article I'm working on that I want you to read and check if there are any mistakes."

The blonde looked at the desk next to Regina's. It was simple and yet elegant. The couch and the professor's desk had been moved to leave some space to her. She smiled at the thought, not exactly sure why she cared. Probably it was only something necessary, but she felt a little… _welcome_. It was a strong word, but it fit the context somehow.

She sat on the chair behind her desk and was surprised by how comfortable it was. _She has a good taste…_

They worked in silence for a few hours before Emma stood up. The brunette looked at her with a questioning expression.

"I'm gonna grab a coffee. What something?"

"Black, please." The brunette looked surprised, although the girl didn't know why.

When she came back, she carried a coffee, a chocolate milk-shake, a bear claw and a piece of apple pie. She handed the pie and the cup to the woman before sitting at her desk, happily enjoying her "break". The woman looked at her with a weird expression.

"How did you know?"

"What?" The girl bit her snack then looked at the teacher.

"About the pie. It's my favorite."

The girl smiled and shrugged. "Lucky guess. I'm glad you liked."

Regina tilted her head a bit and the girl almost laughed at the thought that the woman looked like a confused puppy.

"You are not a big talker, are you?" Emma asked.

"What do you mean?" The woman sipped her drink, enjoying the bitter taste of it. The blonde noticed that she didn't add any sugar on it. It was _pure_ black coffee.

"We are here for a few hours and you didn't speak once, aside to tell me what I should do. Even when I asked you something, you just hummed or made a gesture with your hand." Blonde brows frown in a questioning way.

The brunette just hummed and nodded. The girl chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"Ok then…" She looked at the clock on the wall. "I must go. I've got a class now. Do you need anything else today?"

Regina shook her head. "No. It's just that. Are you finished?"

"Yup. I made some notes, besides the mistakes. I hope you don't mind." She stood up then handed the article to the professor. She walked away with an awkward feeling that things went a lot better then what she expected.

_So nice for a first day…_

* * *

_The most the seas are calm, the most you fear a storm coming._

Emma was going home when she heard the scream. She ran the fast she could towards the sound. It was around 9 P.M. and the parking lot was empty. There was only two lights working and there was no moon that night.

She sound was cut off so the girl had a guess: somebody was in more trouble than before. She looked around until she saw a car parked about fifty meters away. She ran and opened the backseat door. She could saw there was a fight, but she couldn't see who the two people were. By the size of them, she supposed the person on the top was a man. A big one, actually.

Feeling the shock of the adrenaline, Emma grabbed the man's coat and a fistful of his hair, pulling him out of the car before planting a perfect jab on his jaw. Without time to think or let him react, she kneel him on the balls. He fell on the ground, hissing in pain and cursing the girl. She punched him again time before turning to the person inside the car to make sure everything was ok.

It wasn't the fact that it was a woman that was attacked that made Emma feel suddenly sick. It was founding that the woman was Regina that made her feel concerned. She knelt in front of the woman reaching for her hands. Even in the darkness of the parking lot, she could see the fear and the horror on the brunette's face.

"Are you ok?" The girl asked in a concerned whisper.

The woman silently nodded.

"Can you drive?" They looked down to the jointed hands and the blonde noticed how much Regina was shaking.

"Gimme the keys, please." The woman kept still. The man growled behind them and Emma looked over her shoulder before looking at the professor again. "Regina, _please._ I'll drive you home. _Please_, give me the keys."

"Door." The word came out so low that Emma almost didn't catch it. When she finally understood, she positioned the brunette on the backseat in a comfortable position and closed the door. She took the key that was on the handle of the door and sat on the driver's seat. She started the car and drove away. Without knowing where else to go she drove back to her apartment.

She helped the brunette get out the car and go upstairs. She sat the woman on her bed and knelt in front of her once more that night. They looked to each other. Emma could only think about how afraid Regina looked in that moment. This time, the blonde girl was careful enough and didn't touch the brunette.

"Thank you." Her voice was a low, cracked whisper and the blonde knew she was trying not crying.

"No problem. Are you hurt?" The brunette shook her head. "Do you want something? Tea? Water?" Same answer.

"Lay down." The girl gently said. The woman hesitated, but finally did what she was told. She felt suddenly exhausted and just wanted to calm down. Emma helped her, taking her shoes off and tucking her in. Regina was too shocked to snap her or make any comments, so she just allowed the kind gesture and closed her eyes. The last thing she remembered about that night was the girl humming a song next to her and finally feeling safe.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **_**Merry Christmas, guys! As a gift to you, this is the second chapter I post today. Thank you all for reading and for the reviews. I felt like they were a present. Just a friendly reminder: English is not my first language. I know this chapter is full of mistakes, but I don't have a beta and I'm really tired right now. It's 23:13 PM (December 25) and I didn't sleep much since yesterday.**_

_**I hope you like it!**_

* * *

_The Queen waited and watched every night to the Knight interacting with the fire bird. She never saw his face or body, but she knew he wasn't wearing his armor because it didn't shine nor the metal made its typical sound as he walked. After a week without any different results, she walked toward him, expecting being able to understand why it took so long._

_She was shocked when she realized that the person sitting on her garden wasn't a man, but a woman with delicate pale skin, thin lips and long blond hair. The Queen couldn't see the color of her eyes and was absolutely surprised when she was greeted with the most breath-taking smile from the stranger, who stopped whistling._

"_Who are you?" The Queen demanded to know._

_The woman just patted the ground next to her and started whistling again, looking straight to those black orbs that were the Queen's eyes at that night._

"Who. Are. You_.?" She asked again in a slower, dangerous tone._

"_I'm your Knight, Your Majesty." She nodded in a respectful manner, without rising to her feet._

_The brunette's jaw nearly dropped to her chest, but she quickly put her mask again._

"_Nonsense. A woman? As a knight?" She mocked, her voice full of sarcasm._

_The blonde finally got up, then took one of the Queen's hands and kissed it. The touch was just a brush of lips against her skin, but the woman immediately stopped chuckling, her eyes slightly widen. She cleared her throat, pulling her hand back from the stranger, who had a weird smirk across her delicate features._

"_Well… I'm not a common woman. And, yes. I'm sure I am not the first one that ever existed, either. Have you ever heard about Joana D'Arc?"_

"_That crazy harlot that claimed being the chosen one to lead an army? Yes, I've heard a word or two about her." The brunette answered then pursed her lips in a thin line. "But I would hardly take her as a good example of knight, dear."_

_The blonde looked at her in a thoughtful way._

"_I see… A woman who is strong enough to lead an entire land alone doesn't believe in a woman who could be strong enough to lead an army…" She tilted her head, watching the Queen. "It's ironic, at minimum. You know that she isn't really a whore, right? She was born in a poor family, but she's the bravest person I've ever met." The blonde looked down for a moment, suddenly looking lost in her thoughts._

_This time, the brunette just looked puzzled. "You met her? I heard she used to say that an angel had shown to her and _talked_ to her. And that she was burn alive." The last words came out of her mouth like they were candy as red lips flavored wondering how it would feel doing that as an execution._

"_Yes. I met her. And that was the vilest thing anybody had ever done. It was disgusting in all ways. The men who did that to her… They should suffer a hundred times more than what she had. She was a natural leader. She was intelligent, strong and kind. She didn't judge anybody. She was fair with the ones who trusted her. She deserved much more than what she got!" The woman nearly screamed the last part. "You should learn how to be more like her."_

"_I'm not interested, thank you." The Queen's answered in a fake bored tone, looking at her perfect nails. "Now, what are you doing in my garden?"_

_The blonde rolled her eyes, letting out an exasperation sigh. "I've already told you: I'm the Knight. I'm here to catch the fire bird and save your apple tree."_

"_Really? And how are you doing that, dear? Since all I've seen you doing is sit here and whistle the whole night."_

_The blonde looked at the Queen for a few minutes in silence. "I'm working on her trust."_

"Her trust?_" The beautiful brunette asked, incredulous. "It's a _bird_."_

"Exactly_. And not only a bird, Your Majesty: she's also a magical creature. She deserves respect. And that's why it takes so long: I need to earn her trust. She will only be captured when she wants to. You see… She can recognize when somebody has good intentions. The person who wants to touch her needs to show it. It's not an easy thing to do. She was betrayed many times before. She can't allow that happening again."_

_The brunette looked at the woman again, head to toe, studying her. She thought about what she said._

"_I don't see the apple you requested."_

"_That's because I didn't take it yet."_

"_Why do you need it?"_

_The blonde smiled at her. "Wait and see. I believe that, since you've been watching me the whole week, you would like to watch the rest of the progress. Am I right?"_

_The brunette clenched her jaw and fists. She believed she had been quiet and inconspicuous, but the blonde not only noticed her, but also was expecting her to keep observing it._

"_Very well… If you insist..."_

_The blonde rolled her eyes and sat again, restarting the whistle. The Queen, on the other hand, kept on her feet. The woman patted the ground next to her, as an invitation, but the regal woman only raised an eyebrow. _Queens do not sit on the ground, dear.

"_Nobody is watching. Or judging, _Your Majesty_." The blonde said like she could hear her thoughts._

_They spent the rest of the night like that: the blonde whistling, sat on the grass, and the Queen on her feet next to her. They didn't speak to each other until the very next night._

* * *

Emma woke up that morning feeling like an eighteen wheeler truck had passed over her body while she slept on that floor. It wasn't the first time in her life she did that, but she was grateful that the season was still hot enough so she didn't freeze in her sleep. The girl stretched her muscles after she stood up then looked at the woman lying on her bed.

_She looks so peaceful… So tiny…_

A small smile crossed pink lips when she breathed out with relief after the nightmare the night before had been. It was nice seeing that the woman was able to sleep after what had happened.

The girl headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower before waking Regina up. The hot water was a bless to her tense body and she relaxed a lot before cutting the water of. She stepped out of the bathroom and started looking for clean clothes on her drawers. The movement was enough to wake the woman on her bad.

"What the hell?" Regina nearly screamed when she woke up in a strange place with one of her students wearing only cotton panties and a towel over her shoulder. The brunette took almost a minute to remember the last night and didn't seem very pleased by her memories. She sat on the bed, instinctively pulling the covers over her chest, even if she was fully dressed.

"Good morning to you too." The girl rolled her eyes in a sarcastic way. "How do you feel?"

Dark-hazel eyes narrowed the girl with a mix of anger and… _grateful?_

"I'm fine, thanks. Where are we?" It was a dry answer, but Emma was expecting worse.

"At my apartment. I don't know where you live and you were too shocked last night to give me any directions, so I brought you here." The blonde shrugged, making the towel slid off one of her shoulders, leaving an amount of pale flesh exposed. She turned her back to the teacher, looking for a bra on the drawers. "I'm glad you sleep well. That was quite a trauma…"

The girl didn't see it, but she could feel intense gaze on her back. Feeling suddenly and inexplicably shy, Emma rushed to get dressed. She wasn't ashamed of her body: quite the opposite, though. But she couldn't help the heat forming on the pit of her stomach at the thought of _Regina_ checking out on her body.

She uncomfortably cleared her throat before talking again, turning to the brunette. "So… Do you want some breakfast?"

The woman looked around the apartment with disgust before locking gazes with the blonde. "Do you even have any food here?"

Emma chuckled a bit. "Hell, no! I don't eat here. But I can buy you something on the way to the office. Although I think maybe you'll wanna go home first and take a shower. You look like shi… like a mess." She corrected herself awkwardly cleaning her throat.

The brunette frowned and rose to her feet before glancing to the small mirror on the wall. The girl had a point… Her hair was messed, her clothes were creasy and she _had_ slept wearing makeup. This certainly wasn't the best of her. And, sure enough, one day was more than enough wearing the same outfit. She ran a hand over her hair, trying to make it presentable and smoothed her skirt the best she could before clearing her throat and speaking with her _host_.

"Bathroom?" She asked, even if the door was open and the place obviously didn't have many rooms. Emma smirked at her and pointed the room with her chin, watching the always-so-regal woman walking toward there.

The blonde heard the water running and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting the woman come back so they could leave. She glanced to the professor when she finally came out, noticing how exquisite the woman was even without any makeup on.

Actually, she looked even _better_ this way. It was almost like she was… normal.

The sleeves of her shirt were folded until the length of her elbows and Emma finally understood why the brunette wore long-sleeved ones even when the day promised melt iron: on her right wrist, there was a small feather tattoo. It was a delicate form and the girl was highly surprise by the sight of it. It was something both odd and perfect at the same time. The blonde immediately decided that the two things she liked the most about that woman were the lip-scar and that tattoo, because those were the little stuff that made the woman look real and human.

Even she couldn't help the smirk on her face, she knew better than make any open comment about it. Instead, she rose to her feet and walked toward the door. When she saw Regina wasn't following her, she looked over her shoulder and asked "Are you coming or what?"

The brunette raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Where are my keys, Miss Swan?"

The girl reached them on the pocket of her jeans and tossed to the woman, who easily caught them on the air. She then tilted her head and held the knob of the open door, waving her hand in a motion to the professor leave first. "After you, _Milady_."

The professor rolled her eyes one more time before walking through the door, heading up to the stairs without waiting for her student.

Emma walked the woman to her car as she was making sure nothing bad was going to happen with the brunette. The girl was still feeling a bit protective about Regina after the attack last night, even if she had told herself everything was fine and that the professor didn't need a bodyguard. She also restrained any questions she wanted to make, because she also knew that, if Regina wanted to talk, she would do it in her own time, so the student just escorted the professor to her car – a black Benz that Emma only had the opportunity to check out now. _Fancy._

It was only when she saw Regina sat safely inside her car that the blonde breathe retuned to a normal pace.

"I guess you'll gonna be late today?" The girl grinned to her boss in a mockery way.

"I think you are right, Miss Swan. But don't worry: there is plenty working to do. There is a document on my desk that must being delivered at the rector's office until noon. Be useful and do that for me, will you?" Regina offered her a cold polite smile before turning the car on.

The blonde growled. She almost forgot how bitchy Regina could be when she wanted to. "Yeah. Sure. Which one?"

"It's the one on the top of all. It's easy to find it." The brunette thought a little before grabbing her purse, searching for something inside it. "Here. If you have any doubts, call me." She handed a business card to the girl, who nodded before the woman finally drove away.

Emma looked down to the card on her hand for almost a minute before her stomach loudly complained and she finally walked on the Campus direction with a feeling that that would be a long, looong day.

* * *

"Fuck!" Emma growled then kicked the door. She internally cursed herself and Regina for forgotten the keys. It was already 10:30 A.M. and the teacher didn't arrive yet nor wouldn't pick her phone up.

It was only after the sixth call that the girl decided do something she had sworn she never would do again: she broke in. Just like four years ago, she first checked out if nobody was watching, then she worked on the lock. Thankfully, that was one of the easy ones and, in less than two minutes, the blonde was in. Not that she was proud of it.

She walked toward the big desk looking for the damn document. There it was: above everything, just like the brunette said. She smiled to herself, grabbed the papers and, just when she was about to turn back to the door, a voice asked in a dangerous tone.

"How did you get in here?"

Emma froze on her spot with sweaty hands, a bit nausea forming on the pit of her stomach, the heart beat speeding up. _Fucking adrenaline._ She looked up and saw an older woman wearing an elegant blazer and pencil skirt (_What's the problem with those people! I'm almost melting here, for fucks sake!)_, silk coppery brown hair, and a blood-red lipstick. A cold gaze and an unreadable expression on her face. _Like mother like daughter._

"I came to grab this document to Reg… Professor Mills." The girl answered with her voice stronger than she actually felt.

"That doesn't answer my question." The brunette crossed her arms over her chest, an eyebrow raised.

Emma straightened her back, locking gazes with the vice-rector. "She forgot to give me the key, so I found a way to open the door. I'm working for her. And, since I was going to your office to deliver this, I think maybe I can just do it now." The girl handed the document to the brunette.

That wasn't entirely true, but she couldn't risk being accused of anything wrong.

"You _broke in_ to deliver this at my office?" Mrs. Mills asked in disbelief.

"She said you needed it till noon." The blonde calmly said.

"And why she isn't here?"

Emma stood quiet. She couldn't answer this. Not the truth about it, at least. The woman stepped toward her with a predatory smile forming on her lips. The girl clenched her jaw and her fists but didn't step back.

"Because I had personal issues to deal with this morning." Regina's voice erupted behind them and Emma breathed out in relief. They locked gazes and green eyes said a silent "Thank you" to dark-hazel ones. "And I forgot my phone at my car, so I didn't pick up when she tried to call me." She added before the question being made.

The student watched the two women intensely locking gazes without speaking. The room was full of such a thick tension and Emma could swear she could touch it if she moved. It was only after a whole too uncomfortable minute that the older brunette spoke again.

"Maybe you should improve your security system. I don't like the idea that _anybody_ can simply break in one of the University's offices any time they feel free to." Her tone was sharp and cold as she glanced to the young blonde when she spoke.

"I'll be sure it won't happen again, Cora." Regina answered in a polite tone. "Anything I can do to help you?" She raised a perfect eyebrow in question.

The woman shifted on her feet, releasing her arms to her sides.

"No, that's all. I just came to grab this, anyway. Have a nice day, Professor." Regina nodded in a silent greet as the woman walked away before she turn locking gazes with the blonde girl.

"Thank you." Emma said.

"You are welcome. And thank you too." The words came out with a clearly effort from the pretty brunette. Emma knew she wasn't talking only about the document and she offered a small, yet sweet smile to the woman.

They looked to each other without noticing the time passing by, lost in emerald green and dark-hazel. Regina's features were soft, although she wasn't smiling. She looked like a bit with the woman that slept on Emma's bed the night before.

The girl finally broke the eye contact, looking at the clock on the wall.

"I should get going. Lunch and… You know… Classes. I'll come back later, since I didn't do anything worthy today."

"That's not necessary. If I need you, I'll call you."

A mischievous smirk formed on pink lips. "You don't have my number."

"That's because you never gave it to me."

"Just because you never asked."

For the first time since they met, Emma finally saw a genuine smile on those red lips. It was just a twitch on the corners of her mouth and didn't last a second, but the student saw it.

"You called me today, Miss Swan. I _do_ have your number." Regina pointed.

The blonde chuckled. "Yeah. You're right. Bye then."

"Have a good day, Miss Swan."

"Thanks. You too." Emma winked to her and the finally walked away.

* * *

**A/N: _So, guys, I need a beta! _****_If you like this story but you simply hate my mistakes, let me know! kkkkk_**

**_And, about the agressor, the explanations are coming soon. This chapter was more about the beginnig of changings on their relationship._**

**_I hope you liked it._**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **_**Happy New Year, everybody! I wanted to post this before midnight but, well… I couldn't finish it. So that's officially my first update at 2014. Yey!**_

_**Now, some warnings: English is not my first language and I don't have a beta (but if you want to help me, I'm accepting any help I can have *wink wink*).**_

_**This chapter contain: MENTION TO RAPE (and a much detailed description about it), VERBAL ABUSE, HARSH LANGUAGE AND A LOT OF SWEARING. It's a heavy thing and I didn't plan it to be like this at first. **_

_**I hope you like it and let me know how you felt about it.**_

* * *

Her chamber was cold that day. It was a strange thing, since the fireplace was on even on a spring afternoon. The brunette walked from a side to another, thinking about the previous night. She didn't know what to expect from today. She was concerned, suspicious and even anxious about what could happen. She noticed how the Knight made her feel angry and fussy with those comments about women. It was unsettling the knowledge of her own sexism, to say the minimum.

"Who she thinks she is?" The Queen growled. She was frustrated by how the blonde could so easily get under her skin.

She wanted to see the woman. She wanted to talk with her. She wanted to watch her progress with the bird. _Earn a bird's trust._ It was almost absurd. Although, it also made sense… Even if she couldn't figure it out how to do such thing. She didn't believe in trust. Of course she had used it as an weapon before: gaining somebody's trust just to be able to crush them after she got what she wanted. But she wasn't able to trust anybody.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts as she stopped walking around.

"My Queen? There's somebody here to see you. He says it's important." The person asked out the room.

"Who is it?" Her tone was unpleased. She didn't want to see anybody.

"It's the Knight, My Queen." The brunette could sense the fear on the person's voice. The mention of the armored person made her mood change. She wasn't expecting seen the blonde until night, but the possibility of doing so was a bit… welcomed.

"Let he… him in." The Queen wasn't sure why, but she didn't want to let anybody know the truth about the Knight.

After a few minutes, another knock on the door.

"Come in." She said looking at the mirror, her back to the door. Her tone was bored, despite the speed of her heartbeat.

She heard and watched the visitor coming in through the mirror, the armor shining brightly because of the light from the fireplace. The brunette lazily brushed her long hair. She saw the person kneeling in a greeting move on the reflexive surface and suppressed a smirk forming on her red lips.

"My, my… What brings my brave Knight here at this time of the day?"

The woman got up on her feet and slowly walked toward the brunette.

"I'm not _your_ knight." The Queen raised an eyebrow then turned around on her seat to face the person. "And there's a problem. I received a message today from my kingdom. I must return to lead my people… There was an attack and they need me."

The powerful woman opened her mouth but the words never came out as a metal hand stopped her.

"There's no argument. I must do this. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"We have a deal." The woman finally got up to her feet and angrily answered. "If you leave now, I'll make sure there will be no land for you to return to even before you can reach there."

"You still don't know who I am or where I came from."

"So I propose another deal. You stay and take care of my problem and I'll send help to your kingdom."

She hated not being able to see the Knight's face or her eyes, but the concern about her tree was everything that mattered now. She would not accept the possibility of losing it. The woman stood there, thinking about that propose. It wasn't a bad thing… But…

"How can I be sure that I can trust you?" Her voice was a metallic sound under the helmet.

"I need to _earn_ your trust too?" She mocked. "Well, dear, that's not going to happen. We don't have the time for this and I wouldn't do that, anyway. You will trust me because you _have to_. There are only two choices: or you do it and your land will be in capable hands, or you don't and I will have you arrested in one of my castle's dungeons. That way, you won't be able to help your people."

"I won't help you if you lock me up." She angrily growled.

"That doesn't matter. If I'm going to lose something precious to me, I don't mind that _you_ lose something too."

The Knight clenched her fists. "Fine." The brunette released a dark smile. "But if _anything_ bad happen to them, I'll make you suffer something worse than death."

The Queen throatily chuckled. "Oh, really, dear? I would like to see you try. But, unfortunately, you have a bird to catch and I have an army to prepare. Now, if you can be of some use, tell me where you came from so we can finish this, will you?"

The Knight kept in silent. They stared each other for a long moment before the regal woman could hear the low sigh of defeat under the metal protection. She shook her head thinking about how she disliked this situation than looked back to the regal woman that stood in front of her.

"I'm from the South's lands, between Poseidon's kingdom and the Canyon."

Dark eyes widened when the Queen understood where this place was.

"The Enchanted Forest?" She asked in a despised tone.

"It's under my king domains, yes."

"_Charming_ is your king?" Disgust spread over the woman's face. "And you want _me_ to help?"

"Actually, I just wanted you to not attack there anymore. The help part it's all on you." The Knight shrugged. "And if you don't, I'm leaving."

They stared each other for another long moment before the blonde turn on her heels and walked toward the door. She reached the knob when she heard the answer.

"You stay. I'll send help tonight. Do you know who is attacking?"

She remained quiet for a bit before turning around to face the Queen. She finally removed the helmet as she walked toward the brunette, who tried to figure it out what was the color of those soulful eyes. Here in her chambers, they looked as dark as the night before and she was frustrated because of that.

"Ares. He wants the volcano area and the domains near the sea. That's strategic because of the Cyclopes forges. As you might know, my king has a deal with them: they provide us the best weapons that can be made and we provide them protection. If we are defeated… Than that sick bastard will have access to the forges and…"

"He will be able to control the volcanoes, too…" The brunette completed as the Knight nodded. "I see… Well, now I've got _two_ good reasons to help you. But don't misunderstand this. I'm doing it for my own good. I know that, if he accomplishes want he wants, my own kingdom will be in risk. I cannot allow that. And I want my tree healthy. Do you have a report about his progress?"

"From what I heard, he is approaching by the East, near the Old Lands. By now, I believe he must be a day or two distant, if much, from the borderlands. Do you think your army can make better than that?"

The Queen thought about it, her chin resting between her thumb and forefinger.

"We are closer than they are. But we are on the other side…" She murmured to herself. "Maybe…" She walked toward a giant desk and the Knight followed her, noticing the open map over it. There were lots of red dots all over it and the blonde looked a bit confused by the sight. _Who has a map like this on their private chambers?_

A slim finger ran over the map, the nails lightly scratching the paper. Dark eyes narrowed as she concentrated, a plan forming inside of her mind. The woman could never deny that she liked thinking about war strategies, although she preferred not applying them. Even if she was known by her conquests, the Queen knew the best victory was not going on battle. They were too expensive and almost all the times were fruitless.

The Knight approached, a frown in her brows as she saw the way the finger moved. "That won't do. Despite the season, the lake it's still too cold to cross." The woman placed the helmet on the floor than leaned over the map on the right side of the brunette. She pointed to a spot with a metal gloved finger. "Here. If you use this path, your army can cross through the woods and reach the volcanoes until sunset tomorrow." The brunette looked over her shoulder to the woman who was too close to her. "I'll send a message and tell them we got back up. Are you ok with that?"

The Queen nodded then looked at the map again. That was a good strategy, but something wasn't fitting yet. They needed the surprise element.

"I think I can send two lines. One defensive, to support the ones at the volcanoes, and another offensive, coming behind their back…" She said, a little uncertain about the plan. It would take almost two traveling days to reach the battle from behind and it wasn't the best trip either. The blonde thought about it and bit her lip.

"It's a good tactic. But…" She studied the map again.

"I know. The path is not right. I think maybe they could go from here." She ran a finger, closer to where the other woman was, her arm brushed against the armor but the blonde didn't noticed it.

"Hm… Yes. I think that would do." Golden curls fell over her face and the metallic hand miserably tried to brush it away. The brunette suppressed a smile while she watched the scene.

"Very well. Now, go send that message and be prepared for tonight. I will have my men prepared to leave at sunrise."

The blonde nodded again before kneeling. "Your Majesty."

The Queen watched as the woman put her helmet on again then leaved the chamber. She called a guard and told him to call up the other ones for an emergency war conference.

_It's for your own benefit._ She told herself while walking in a fast pace through the castle hallways.

* * *

A deep breath preceded the soft knock on the office door. She waited the older woman allow her to come in and she nervously stepped inside. Emma didn't want to have this conversation, but she was concerned about the attack the previous night.

"Miss Swan." The surprise on her voice didn't go unnoticed by the student. "What are you doing here?"

"I… I was concerned about you. Because of yesterday. I wanted to know if you called the police and… you know… I wanted to make sure that you are okay." The girl shifted from foot to foot, awkwardly looking at the ground as she spoke in a low tone. She wasn't comfortable talking about what she felt, mostly because of whom she was talking too. Dark-hazel eyes widened in surprise and the woman was more than just a bit stunned about what was happening.

"I am fine, thank you." She answered then frowned. "And of course I went to police. That's why I took so long and didn't answer my phone."

"Oh… That's good. What did they say?" The girl walked toward the desk but didn't sit down.

"There's a wave of attacking going on. Last night was the fourth, apparently. The police don't have any suspects yet…" The brunette said in a low tone. Her face was a calm, neutral mask, but the girl could see the fear on her eyes. She understood that too well…

"Why an alert wasn't made yet?" The girl asked with a frown forming as she finally sat.

"They didn't have a pattern yet… They said the community would be alerted today. It seems that the man attack women near the University building, around 9 PM and 11 PM. Two of them were at the parking lot. It were three students and I… I heard that the girls were having classes at the same building that my classes are given. According to the description of the others, it's the same man from last night."

Emma nodded in silent, the words sinking inside her brain. She felt sick and weak while memories started to come out.

"How are the girls?"

The brunette pursed her lips and clenched her fist.

"One of them was able to run away. The other two…" The girl noticed the knuckles of the delicate hands turning white.

"Fucking bastard!" The blonde growled under her breath, angry starting boil inside her.

They locked gazes and Emma could see more than what Regina was willing to show. She felt like an intruder, but she couldn't look anywhere else. They remained like this for a long time in a silent conversation. The girl wanted to say something. She wanted to punch that mother fucker even more now. She was angry and concerned. How many other girls would suffer before he got caught? She wanted to make sure Regina would be ok. She wanted to make sure Ruby would be ok. She didn't want anybody to suffer such humiliation, such pain… It was too frustrating that she couldn't do anything about it.

"You should go home. It's getting late." The brunette said looking at her phone.

"Are you going now?" The blonde asked.

"I still have some paperwork to finish here. But I think I'll be done in half hour or so."

"I'll wait for you."

"I beg your pardon. I think I didn't understand." Regina looked shocked by the student's statement.

"I will wait until you finish it and I will walk you to your car." Emma explained in a calm tone.

"Why would you do that?" The professor was genuinely surprised.

The blonde shook her head, golden curls fallen over her face as a single tear ran through her cheek. She wiped it away then looked at those intense dark-hazel eyes. She didn't need to say anything to Regina understand what she meant. The woman's face turned from surprised to realization, then to concern. She quickly masked her feelings, but Emma could see them.

"I see… Very well… While you are here, at least work a bit. Here." She handed the girl a paper. "I need you to review it. And you also can make any notes you want. I thought the last ones were very… useful." The student was oblivious at the implicit compliment to her work, so she just rolled her eyes before nodding and grabbing the paper.

She sat on the couch and started reading it. The professor watched her curious about the way the young woman leaned back against the arm of the couch with the legs crossed extended along the seats, but her feet not touching the furniture. The girl sat her backpack on the floor and grabbed a notebook and a pencil, never looking at the other woman. Emma could feel the gaze on her, but preferred not given it attention. She put the notebook on her lap and proceeded with her reading. Every now and then, she would support the paper on the cover of the notebook and make some notes.

After a while, the brunette looked away and restarted her work. The sooner she finished this, the sooner this day would be over. They worked like this for almost an hour when the brunette finally sighed and rose from her seat. She slowly walked toward the student, her heels not making the usual click-clack against the floor because of the carpet. When she was less than half meter away from the blonde, she cleared her throat to call her attention. Emma looked around and her gaze met toned legs and a black pencil skirt. She looked up, scanning the perfect body with curious eyes before finally setting emerald green eyes on dark-hazel ones. She felt the corners of her lips twitching up as she done so, and she raised an eyebrow at the woman.

"If you are done with that, I'm ready to go, Miss Swan."

"Yeah. Almost there. But I can finish it tomorrow morning." The girl shrugged. She shifted on the couch then put her things inside the backpack before finally getting up and setting the paper on her desk. She turned to the woman and, noticing the brunette's hands empty, she asked. "Where are your stuff?"

The woman pointed to her desk and the girl saw the leather bag that seemed too expensive to being carried around in a college campus.

"I just want to ask you a question before we go." She started, looking at the girl. "How did you enter here earlier today?"

"Ahn… I broke in?" The girl asked, her cheeks completely flush.

Regina crossed her arms over her chest raising an eyebrow. The girl bit her bottom lip and ran a hand through golden curls, shifting her weigh on her legs.

"How in hell did you do that? The lock is not even damaged!"

"Let's just say that I know a thing or two about getting inside places. And the lock is a little old, actually. It's an easy one to _work_ with…" The girl looked uncomfortable about this subject. "I would say that you need a new one. Just in case. And security cameras are not a bad idea too…" She remembered Mrs. Mills' statement early that day and avoided looking at her teacher who was standing with a cold gaze toward the blonde woman.

"Hm. Right. I must say that I'm not even a bit _happy_ about what happened today, and I much prefer that people do not _invade_ my office. Do you realize that you could be expelled, Miss Swan?" Emma looked down and shrugged like a child who was being lectured. Suddenly, she felt like she was six again and her foster mother were angry about some stupid vase she broke. She nodded and felt awkwardly ashamed about what she had done. Not because of the situation, but because it was _Regina_ the one who was treating her like this. The woman was surprised by the blonde's reaction. She expected some defiant behavior or a sarcastic comment that never came. She just stood there, looking so fragile and _innocent._ The brunette walked toward Emma and placed a finger under her chin, lifting her head to look at her eyes.

"What's the problem?" The question came in a soft tone that the student never heard coming from the woman who was standing so close to her. She shook her head and stepped back, away from Regina's touch.

"Nothing. Let's go." She walked way, avoiding looking at the woman. She waited out of the room as the teacher grabbed her purse and locked the office. They walked in silence together until they reached the brunette's car. The girl waited until the woman was safety inside of it before turned around and walked away. She ignored when Regina called for her, pretending she didn't heard it.

She was almost on the entrance of the parking lot when she felt a hand covering her mouth and a strong arm grasping around her waist. The person pulled her away from the sidewalk toward a dark alley. She tried to scream and fight, but the hand prevented the sound from coming out. She was aware that usually they preferred when the victim fought back, but her instincts were stronger than her mind for at least a few minutes before she started stopping the fight. She needed to be cautious. She could do it. She had done it before, so why not this time. She just needed to breathe and wait for the right moment to act.

"That's it." The man said, her beard brushing against her neck. She could smell the alcohol on his toxic breath. He kept his hands on the same position as he tightened the grip, bringing her close to his stinking body. "Now be a good girl and do what I say, will you?" He pushed her against a wall, her face turned to the bricks as he pressed his erection against her back. She internally fought to keep her emotions under control, but the fear increased any second. She wasn't only afraid of what was happening. She also had too many horrible memories like this to hunt her. He smelled her hair and slid his hand over her thigh. She tried to scream again and he pressed her mouth with more force than before.

"Nah, ah, ah. That's not what good girls do. If you don't be quiet, I'll have to _punish_ you. Is that what you want?" She didn't answer but couldn't stop fighting anymore. She panicked at his words. He pressed harder his body against her. "Dirty little girl. You wanna be punished, don't cha? You liked it, huh?" She felt his tongue running against her neck and she felt sick. The tears started rolling down her cheeks as she closed her eyes. It wasn't impossible having control of her own body and mind like this. Desperation took over her.

He pressed a knee between her legs and ran a hand on her side, touching her butt cheeks. A sinister chuckled came out of his mouth as his hand approached the blonde's sex. She tried to hit his ribs with her elbow but he held her hands restraining her. He rubbed his erected penis against her ass. She tried to move away but he stopped her. He bit her neck and she hissed in pain and disgust. "Nasty whore. You fucking little bitch. You like it. Admit it. You like my cock and you wanna it. You wanna it inside you, huh?" He pressed his body even more against her. She didn't care anymore about the tears. She didn't care about the hurt on her throat of trying to scream. She just wanted this to finish. "You harlot."

He turned her around and she finally had the opportunity she wanted: she released one of her hands of the grip and punched him on the face. He was surprised by the attack and she took the advantage, pushing him away before planting a kick on his stomach. He leaned forward trying to take a breath, pressing his palm against the wall. The girl felt all her emotions taking control over her. She spun on her heel to get the necessary boost to make enough damage with her next kick that hit him on the face, given his position. He lost his balance and felt on his knees. She approached him and grabbed a fistful of his hair with both hands to bring his head with full force when she knelt him on the face. She didn't notice the blood on her pants or running from his broken nose. She smashed his head against the wall and hit it three more times before she let him fell on the floor. She kicked his ribs without realizing he wasn't groaning or hissing anymore. When she finally let his emotions out, she slowly stopped hitting the guy.

Emma reached the phone on her pocket and called the police before calling the ambulance. She was pretty sure he would need it after she examined her pants and his face. With shaky hands, she dialed to the only person other person she could think about that moment. Her voice was cracked and she was just about to break down. The tears fell as she finally rested her back against the wall and slowly sat, resting her forehead on her knees.

"Please…" She begged to the voice mail. "Come pick me up. _Please._"

She reached her backpack that felt on the floor some time during the attack and placed it between her legs and her stomach. She kept the phone on hand as she waited the cops arrive. The past memories mixed with the present ones and she felt the exhaustion taking over her. She closed her eyes but never slept. She was too scared to do so.

She cried alone on that dark alley with the body of her aggressor lying on the ground next to her for almost an hour before someone came and dragged her to the police station where she had to talk about this night and the night before to people she didn't know and explain the blood on her clothes.

After that, Emma sat alone on the hall of the station, waiting to someone to tell her she could go. She braced her ankles and rested her forehead on her knees one more time that night. The tears stopped coming down, but silent sobs remained as she tried to calm down. She was oblivious about what was happening around her and only raised her head when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up as she tried to move away from the grasp but relief washed over her body when she met those now so familiar dark eyes.

"It's ok. It's just me." The brunette said in a calming tone. "Come on. I will give you a ride. I talked with officer. You are free to go now."

Emma cautiously stood up looking a bit suspicious toward Regina. She didn't say a word but followed the woman out of the station. She sat on the leather-covered seat of the black Benz and looked to her hands as she waited the woman turn the car on and drive away. They remained like this for a long time before the brunette finally broke the silence.

"Why did you call me?" She was intrigued about this and couldn't possibly imagine why _anyone_ would _ever_ call her in a situation like that. The blonde girl didn't answer, still looking at her own hands. Regina glanced at her before focusing on the road again. "Where do you live, Miss Swan? I don't remember exactly the place." Emma looked up trying to figure it out where she was. She looked confused and Regina sighed. "Ok then…" The brunette murmured to herself.

The woman drove straight to her place and helped the girl to lie on the bed of the guestroom. When Regina tried to walk away, Emma grabbed her wrist and supplicated her to stay without saying anything. The woman recognized the look on the younger woman's face and sat on the edge of the bed. The night went through but neither of the women was capable of sleep. Emma because she was too afraid of the nightmares she was sure she was going to have. Regina because she was too concerned about the girl on her bed. At the end, both were knocked out by the exhaustion they felt: emotionally and physically. It was a rough night for both of them, full of dreadful nightmares and a not even a bit restful sleep.

Regina woke up many times with Emma screaming beside her and had to wake the girl up. She would shake the blonde's shoulders every single time and try to calm her down, try to convince her it was only a bad dream.

The sun came up after what it appeared to be the longest night of their lives and the brunette rose from the bed. Emma looked at her with wide eyes, the feeling of abandon increasing inside her. "I'm going to take a shower. Try to rest." The professor spoke when she reached the doorway. She glanced at the blonde one more time before walking away and leaving the girl alone.

Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had the most awful headache, her hands was sore, her eyes burned from all the tears she cried that night, her stomach turned over a feel times and she constantly had the feeling she was going to throw up and she was still wearing blood-drenched clothes. All the times she closed her eyes she could feel his body against hers. All the times she tried to rest, some fucking terrible memory would torment her and she would wake up screaming.

She finally rose to her feet and, without thinking, she did what she always did: she ran away.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: _Sorry for this chapter, guys... It's not my best piece work and I recognize it. Luckly, the next one will be more emotive and with more action. Things are just about to heat up between our ladies, but I had to put some things together first._**

**_And I want to thanks Sultry Sweet, who is an amazing writer and it's helping me to improve myself. She's the reason this thing chapter wasn't a complete waist._**

**_Tell me what you thought about it. Reviews always makes me writer faster and better._**

**_I hope you like it!_**

* * *

That night she wasn't whistling. That was the first thing the Queen noticed when she walked through her garden. She let her fingers ran over the flowers, welcoming the lightly tickling on her skin. She had little pleasures in her life. She welcomed them every time she could.

She wasn't sitting on the grass either. That was the second thing the Queen noticed when she approached the blonde woman.

And the bird wasn't singing. That was when the Queen really noticed something was wrong.

"What is going on here?" She demanded.

The blonde glanced over her shoulder then looked again to the tree. She lifted her arm and waited. The bird looked at the Queen then at the other woman, who nodded to the bird. The Queen watched amazed when bird flew around the garden and gracefully landed on the strong pale arm. Pink lips curled in a sad smile as she caressed its head.

Her body was lightened by the natural shine of the magic creature but the Queen still couldn't see her eyes. It was like she was near a fireplace, so it was difficult to distinguish the color of those intense orbs. Looking at her like this, she seemed to be so young… No more than twenty something. Certainly too young to lead an army.

The Queen instinctively lifted her hand to touch the bird, but it flew away the second she finished doing so. She immediately became angry and screamed in frustration. She was so close!

"She doesn't trust you." The young woman said with no surprise.

"And why does it trust you? I've been standing here night after night just like you!" The brunette nearly yelled.

"First, you still don't respect _her_. _Clearly_. Second, you've done nothing to get her to trust you." The blonde calmly answered with a careless shrug.

"What in hell are you doing to earn its trust?" Brown eyes widened as the woman asked with despise.

"I've been whistling and patiently being here, looking into her eyes while I do it." The blonde looked at the spot where the creature was standing before it flew at her. "I never tried to push her. I'm trying to connect with her in some way." She looked back at the brunette. Her expression was hard and her shoulders were tense. "You, on the other hand, just stand there and watch. Well, guess what? She watches you too. And I think she doesn't like what she sees, because she can see what lies beneath your pretty surface."

The Queen stiffened by those words. She pursed her lips into a thin line and clenched her fists. "That's not about the bird, is it?"

"Do you know what's even sadder?" The blonde continued ignoring the other woman's question. "I think she'll never respect you or trust you enough to let you even get any closer. She'll always fly always from you because she can see the blackness of your heart and the emptiness of your soul."

"How dare-" The Queen started, but the Knight cut her off.

"How dare _I_? Since I got here, all you've done is make threats and yell any time you can. You are incapable of being kind to anyone. You trapped me here so you could have your _tree_ saved. I wanted to go to save _my people_." She stopped talking and took a deep breath. She stared straight to the brunette who was too shocked to answer.

"I'm grateful for your help, Your Majesty, but that doesn't mean I'm happy here." Her tone was calmer than before, but she couldn't help the hurt showing on her young features. "You could have me here without threatening me. You could have just offered your army to help I would have agreed to stay."

The brunette tried to argue one more time and was stopped again. The Knight's voice was full of sadness and anger. "But schemed against me! How do you expect _anyone_ to trust you after that?"

The blonde walked a few steps away from the other woman as they remained in silence. The Queen's jaw was clenched, her shoulders tensed, her eyes on fire. "I don't believe in _trust. _I don't believe in people. All I believe in is power. The only thing that matters is that and what I can get with it."

The young Knight looked the Queen up and down then shook her hair, golden locks waving around her pretty face that was contorted in disgust. "I can see why your reputation precedes you now." She whispered.

"And why is that, dear?" The sarcasm was obvious as the Queen rolled her eyes then throaty chuckled. "You do know that you opinion is totally irrelevant here, don't you? You are just a tool that I am using to accomplish what I want. Once you finish it, you will have no value to me."

The blonde tilted her head and frowned. "People don't belong to you. They are not your puppets so you can move around the way you want."

"Yes, I can. People respect and fear me enough for me to do so. I have the power to do with them whatever I want."

"Tell me: how does anybody _respect _you if you can't even respect yourself?"

The Queen walked toward her gritting her teeth, but the blonde didn't show any fear as she continued speaking, the anger and disbelief sounded even worse than what she wanted to show. "What kind of person offers a marriage in exchange of a favor? The way I see it, you are nothing but a selfish, sexist bitch!"

When she stopped talking, she took a breath to calm down. The Queen was angry, but also she was too shocked to answer. Nobody ever talked to her like this before.

"She won't come back to me tonight. If you'll excuse me, I'm going get some rest. Please let me know if you have any news about the battle." The blonde said as she started to walk away.

The Queen moved forwards and grabbed the blonde's wrist, twisting her so they were face to face. There was fire in those dangerous dark eyes.

"You know _nothing_ about me. Don't _ever_ talk to me like that again!"

"Or what? Are you threatening me again? Because this is seriously ridiculous. That tactic doesn't work on me and I've just told you what I think about you." She looked down at the grasp on her then smirked in mockery. "And you just proved my point." Her face became serious again when she spited the next words. "You are not a queen. You are just an insecure person. You are weak. And I'm really sorry for who you are."

The blonde pulled her wrist out of the brunette grasp and tried to walk again, but now the Queen grasped her arm. She looked down to the firm hand and the nails sinking on her skin then looked up into infuriated eyes.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of, you little piece of…"

The blonde raised one eyebrow. "Little piece of what, _Your Highness_?"

The brunette remained silent. Her eyes focused on the mouth that was just a few centimeters away from hers.

"You just can't say ten words without threatening somebody, can you? I wonder what made you like this. You are disgusting."

Chocolate eyes locked again with darkened ones.

"Let go off my arm." The blonde practically growled.

At those words, the grip tightened and a devious smirk formed on red lips. The Queen was done with this little game. She was done of being nice with the sassy girl in front of her.

"I wouldn't do it if I were you." The blonde warned her.

"Yes? And why is that, my precious White Knight?"

In response, the woman quickly spun around, using the grip on her arm to cause the Queen to turn on her heels. The blonde knicked the back of the brunette's knees and caused her to fall face down on the ground. She firmly held the Queen's wrists against the woman's back with one hand and used the other one to hold the brunette's head against the ground. Sheplaced a knee on the middle of the older woman's back and made it impossible for the Queen to move. The blonde leaned forward and whispered in her ear, her tone dangerous. She was in no mood for playing.

"Now you listen to me. I. Am. _Not_. Your. Knight. And I am _not_ your property either."

The Queen tried to struggle, but the younger woman was at an advantage.

"Get off me!" The brunette growled.

"You are not better than I am, the same way I am not better than you. So show me some respect. We are equals, just for being human." The brunette throatily chuckled and the blonde looked down shaking her head. "Although I'm seriously wondering if you're really worthy to being called an adjective of such high regard."

"You are so full of yourself." The Queen said with all the pride she could manage while her stomach was firmly pressed against the ground.

"Stop threatening me. _You_ are the one that doesn't know anything about me. _You_ are the one who has _no idea_ what _I am_ capable of. I've heard everything about you. I came here just in name of my kingdom to avoid another war, not to chat with a regal bitch who thinks she owns the word." The brunette shook her head and the blonde grabbed a fistful of hair making the woman hiss beneath her. "I don't care if your tree dies, even if I don't like the idea of such a beautiful and magical thing disappearing. I don't care if you try to kill me. I don't care for you at all. But I also don't like being trapped." She pulled long, brunette hair and forced the Queen to look at her. "I will do this. The bird will be _mine_ after I finish this. And if you don't stop threatening me, you won't like what I'll do to you. Do you understand?"

The Queen humorlessly chuckled. "Now who's threatening whom, dear?"

"That's not a threat. That's a warning." She tightened the grip on the hand and pushed the knee down.

The Queen scowled in pain.

"And I don't think you are in place of making this sort of comments." The blonde continued. "I'm not the one that's eating the grass right now. By the way, is the taste good enough in comparision to what you're used to?"

The Queen growled under the other woman and tried to pull herself up, but she couldn't move at all.

"I'll see you tomorrow, to my total displeasure" The blonde said. "And don't try to touch me or her again."

The blonde finally got up and the Queen could breathed again. The brunette rolled onto her back and fought for air before she could stand up. By the time she composed herself, the Knight was long gone.

The powerful woman hissed. She was more than displeased by the humiliation she had just edured. All she saw was red. If it wasn't for her apple tree, she would have the blonde on her dungeons being tortured by her own hands in that very moment.

However, if wasn't for her tree, the Knight wouldn't be there in the first place.

The Queen walked toward her chambers, thinking of a way to pay back all what that… that… what _that woman_ had done to her. She looked at herself in the mirror, but she was lost on her thoughts to see her own reflection. The words started to run through her mind like a rusty knife ripping her chest. Suddenly, she was eighteen again.

_"All you've done is make threats and yell any time you can."_

_"You are incapable of being kind."_

_"You could have me here without threatening me."_

_"You are just an insecure person. You are weak."_

_"You can't even respect yourself!"_

_"You are a selfish, sexist bitch!"_

She looked at the mirror and saw the last person she wanted to see. She saw the one she feared the most. She saw the one who tortured her, who was the most responsible for her unhappiness.

She looked at the crystal surface and instead of seeing her own face she stared straight at her mother.

_"Love is weakness."_

_"You were born to be a queen."_

_"Be a good girl and do what Mother says, will you? I don't want have to hurt you again."_

She looked around her chambers and, despite the fact she was alone, she saw the people who were standing there on her wedding night. She saw the mock on the guards faces. She saw the pity on the women who stood there to prepare her to her new husband. She looked at the mirror again and saw the girl she once was, standing just a few moments before her childhood and innocence being torn apart. She saw the man who treated her like a toy. The man who had no respect for her. The man who saw her as a mere trophy to be shown. From that day on, she was just a body to him lay down on. She was nothing more than a woman to bed.

_"Be quiet."_

_"Tell me how much do you like it, sweetie."_

_"Ava!"_

The Queen screamed so loud that the guards soon were inside her chambers and watched with wide eyes as the brunette grabbed everything and tossed it against a wall or the mirror. They watched the woman destroy her chamber in less than five minutes without knowing how to react. They weren't allowed to touch her. They were even afraid of what could happen to them if they tried to stop her. So they just stood there and watched while the woman broke all the things she could.

Including herself.

* * *

A week had passed and nobody had any news about Emma Swan. Ruby tried contacting the police, but they said there was nothing they could do because technically she wasn't missing yet. The young brunette tried her cellphone, her apartment, the library, and the bars around the University. She even talked with the Evil Queen see wheter or not the girl was going to work or attending her classes. Nobody heard from the blonde. Needless to say that Ruby was on the edge of her nerves and almost faint in relief when her phone rang and she read Emma's name on the screen.

"Where the hell are you?" She yelled without any greeting.

The other side of the line was silent for a very long time and Ruby's heart sped up. After what it felt like an eternity, a familiar voice spoke.

"Hey, Rubes… Sorry about… You know… Listen, I lost my keys. Can I crash at your apartment today?"

"Yeah, sure." The brunette's tone softened when she heard Emma's voice. She had being so concerned about her friend's abscence that she couldn't argue with her. Not now. Not over the phone. "Where are you, Em?"

"I had something I had to take care of… I'm coming back. Don't worry."

Ruby sighed. "Ok… Look, I gotta go. I've got a class now. Meet me at the Rabbit's later, ok? Around five."

"Sure, thanks. Bye."

"Em! Wait!"

"What?"

"I was worried about you. Please, don't do that again."

The silence made Ruby thinks that Emma had hanged up, but when she answered, her voice was tiny and cracked.

"Sorry. I won't. See you later."

The brunette sighed again and walked through the building's hallways until she reached her classroom. She sat next to a window and waited for the teacher started speaking, but that day she wasn't paying any attention. All she could think was what could possibly happened to have caused Emma to do such a thing… Sure the blonde wasn't the most opened person in the world. She didn't even have many _friends_ besides Ruby, but it wasn't like her just disappear like that. At least not for the past year and a half. Usually she would call or text to assure the brunette that she was ok. They didn't talk every day, but they would always reach each other to know how they were.

But what worried Ruby the most was the rapist that everybody was talking about. He had being caught when he tried to attack a student on Campus and she had fought back. Nobody knew who she was, but the gossip spread fast. The brunette was worried about Emma's behavior because she was afraid the blonde was the one who all the talking was about. Even without knowing the girl's past, Ruby knew she hid something dark in her closet.

She sighed again and tried to focus on the teacher. Whatever made her friend acting like this it was, for sure, something she wasn't going to open up about. The only thing she could do was welcome her friend back and be there if she was needed.

* * *

It was a soft knock on the door, almost inaudible. It contrasted with the way the thoughts were loud and scattered inside of her mind. She stepped inside when she was allowed to and cautiously walked toward the big wooden desk where her boss/teacher was sitting at. The woman showed no emotions when she looked up to the girl. They remained quiet, just looking into each other's eyes.

"Miss Swan." The professor broke the silence. "Care to explain why you missed a whole week of classes and work?"

The girl breathed out a heavy sigh. "You know the reason, Regina. Can we just skip this part of the conversation and get to when you fire me?"

Perfect eyebrows shot up to her hairline in surprise. "Why would I do that?"

"You just said that I've missed a whole week of work. I thought that you wouldn't want somebody that _reckless _working for you." The girl explained with a shrug.

"In deed, Miss Swan. Normally I wouldn't accept this kind of behavior. But, since these aren't normal circumstances and I am well aware about the most probable reason for your outburst, I will not consider this as a lack of compromising for your work." Regina stood up and walked around her desk. Her tone was soft, but cold. "However, I will not tolerate anymore attitude like this. When somebody takes care of you and allows you into their house, the minimum amount of actions you could take is to show a bit of respect and leave a note explaining the reason why you are leaving. It's disturbing, after all what happened, all the things that can cross somebody's mind when the person under their watch simply disappears."

Emma's jaw dropped. She understood Ruby's behavior, of course. They were friends, after all. But this was _Regina Mills_ showing concern for her now. The woman known as Evil Queen. The heartless woman. The one who punished her just for being late on her classes. The one who never cared about anyone. At least, that was all the students had ever heard about this woman who was standing in front of her now. The girl gulped feeling slightly guilt.

"So… I still work for you?"

"No." For a second, the blonde seemed defeated. She was just about to protest when a hand raised and motioned her to stay quiet. "You work _with_ me."

The statement caught Emma completely off guard. The words that she had said earlier coming out of the professor's mouth sounded much more powerful than before. She didn't know what to expect when she came to talk with Regina that day, but certainly she would _never_ expect this.

"Now that we are done with the explanations, care to be useful and work? There are many things to do, since you were absent for such a long time. And, before I forget…" She walked back to sit on her enormous black chair and picked something out of the first drawer of her desk and handed it to the girl.

"What's this?" Emma quizzically looked at the key that was placed on her palm.

"A key, Miss Swan." The obvious answer made green eyes roll out of exasperation. "Now you can come in and out the office whenever you want. I changed the lock, as you wisely told me to do. And there is an alarm too. Here's the password." She handed over a small paper with a number code. The girl looked at her in confusion. This was too odd.

"Let's see if you can stay out of trouble now and if you are able to compensate the hours of work you missed." Regina said.

"Yeah. Sure." The girl glanced at her phone to check the hour. "I should go now." The brunette raised an eyebrow in question. "I've got classes too, Regina."

The brunette nodded and watched the girl walking out of her office.

* * *

"So… Where were you?" Ruby tried to make the question sound casual, but Emma heard the concern in it.

"I've already told you. I was dealing with something." The blonde answered in an exasperated sigh. She took a long sip of her Jack right from the bottle then offered it to her friend. "Let's just not talk about it, ok?" She narrowed blue eyes as a warning.

"What about Regina? I asked her and she said she you didn't go work either. How did she react?" Ruby wouldn't give up easily.

"I thought she would freak and be all bitchy over it then fire me, but she actually took it well." Emma said with discomfort. Talking about the older brunette wasn't something she was willing to do either, but she had to offer something so her friend would finally shut up. "But she said I would have to compensate the hours and that she will not accept this happening again." The girl growled at this. Extra job. So fucking perfect.

She felt an intense gaze fixed on her and Emma looked up to Ruby, who was studying her.

"What?"

"I'm wondering why the hell that witch would treat you like this. The only thing I can imagine to answer this is… Well… It's a stupid thing, actually."

"What do you mean?" Emma frowned and ripped the bottle from the other girl's hand.

"It's like she… _likes_ you. That's weird, y'know? She would never let anybody to miss a whole week of work and classes and get away with it. _You_ know this very well, since you were the one who told me that she made you rewrite that paper."

Emma scowled at that memory. It seemed so long ago… But Ruby had a point. The blonde drank again. The past weeks had been a living hell and everything was so damn confusing now. She wanted to just go away and never come back. This time she couldn't, though. All she could do was drink and read to keep from thinking. During the time she was away, she looked for the book she seemed to be addicted to now. _The Fire Bird. _It was a rare one and she had some trouble to finding it, but she was stubborn and wouldn't give up of finding herself a copy.

The girl wasn't the sentimental type and usually didn't get attached to anything, but she felt connected with the story in such a deep way that she found comfort reading it over and over again. It was like _Pollyanna_ had been to her when she was a little girl. Now she didn't played "the glad game" anymore now that she had grown up and being optimistic all the time was too exhausting. But it sure had made some good. She would probably never have accomplished what she'd wanted in order to get where she was without it in first place.

However, _The Fire Bird_ wasn't so dramatic. She felt connected and recognized herself on the book, but not like she had recognized herself with Pollyanna. This was a whole new level and she couldn't actually explain what had changed.

_Something has change within me. Something is not the same. I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game._

She chuckled remembering the lyrics. The first time she had heard it, she was a teen and was working at the theater. She helped with the scenery and cleaned the theater every day, before and after the show. It was when she first ran away from her foster parents. The song always made sense to her and always seemed too distant from how she lived. She indeed had defied gravity at some point in her life. She had done the impossible.

And yet, there she was. Feeling the same way she felt a few years ago. Feeling like nothing had changed at all with her. On the other hand, she couldn't deny that now she was a completely different person. Life was strange.

"She doesn't like me. I'm just a puppet." Emma answered. She knew that wasn't entirely true. She remembered the way she took care of the woman and the way she was taken care by her. But she also knew it wasn't like Regina would always be good to her or even treat her well.

"I don't believe it. She's too nice to you for that being true."

Emma laughed with sarcasm. Ruby didn't even know about that night and said something like this. _If you only knew._

"Yeah. She's nice to me. I've already told you this: teachers are humans too, Ruby. She can be nice when she make some effort to do so." Green eyes rolled and she sipped again.

"_Teachers _are humans. Regina isn't a teacher. She's a robot. She's the Evil Queen. The name isn't there just because it's funny, Emma. The woman never showed more than political respect to anyone. Not even to her mother. Did you know that her mother is the vice rector?"

"Yes. I've talked with her. She's even _bitch-ier_ than Regina. I think that's genetics." The blonde growled. This conversation was too awful and she was beginning to get drunk.

Blue eyes grew wider. "When did you meet her?"

"I actually was busted breaking into my boss' office to take care of something she had asked me to do."

"WHAT? YOU BROKE IN? ARE YOU INSANE?"

"Stop yelling! Geez, woman. It's nothing bad, ok?"

"Wait. So you can open Regina's office and can't break into your own apartment?"

"Actually, I _can_ go to my apartment. But I wouldn't be able to lock the door. And that's not safe. So I'm going to change the lock tomorrow and everything is going to be good again."

"So, you were busted breaking in and you weren't expelled?"

"Pretty much, yes."

"Damn! You are freaking lucky!

Emma chuckled. _The irony._

"Hey, if you don't mind, I wanna sleep now. Busy day tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night, Em."

"Night, night. Sleep tight."

Ruby laughed and looked over her shoulder to see that her friend was decently accommodated on her couch. She turned off the lights and everything was swallowes in darkness again.


	11. Chapter 11

**_A/N: Hey, guys! I want to thank SultrySweet for being my beta on __this chapter. She's an amazing writer and friend. If you guys don't know her work yet, you _should!**

**_I hope you like this chapter!_**

* * *

_You need to do more than just _believe. _You need to _know_ it. Life can't be lived like this, as destiny or fate are the only things that matter. Of course there are situations we can't control and we do not choose to happen. _

_But we _do _choose how we deal with what life brings to us. _

_You can sit and wait until everything gets better. Or you can fight and _make_ things better._

_ You can just believe in yourself or you can know what you are capable of or not._

_You can know your strengths and your flaws. And that's how you improve yourself. That's how you grow up._

_Even if that's not an easy thing to do._

* * *

"Didn't you ever want to be loved?"

The Queen narrowed furious eyes on the blonde girl. They stood quiet almost the whole night, just staring at the bird, lost in their own minds.

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday you said that all that matters to you is power." The Knight explained, still looking at the bird. "What about love? It doesn't matter to you?"

The Queen walked toward her roses, her back turned to the woman who was sitting on the grass.

"Love is weakness."

There was no answer to this.

The brunette turned to face the younger woman, who now laid on her back staring the night sky. She mimicked the girl and noticed that the moon was starting to appear. After a brief moment, she looked down again to observe the woman's body.

She was dressed in a knee length white dress and the light fabric seemed to glow in an orange tone because of the brightness of the magical bird. Her muscles were a bit tense while she rested her head in her palms. The dress slid carelessly up to her thighs and the Queen could see perfect and strong, pale legs. The blonde curls looked like a golden ocean involving young features.

The Knight was exquisite.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to the Queen. She knew exactly how she would make the blonde woman pay for the humiliation she caused and the words she said the night before.

She looked at the sky again and smiled.

"Why are you smiling?" The blonde asked. The Queen snapped from her thoughts and faced her.

"Just enjoying the beautiful side of the night, dear." Her tone was soft. She slowly walked toward the girl. "I thought about what you said to me last night." She looked sad and hurt.

The knight raised one eyebrow in suspicion.

"Yeah? What did you think?"

"That maybe you are right." She sat beside the blonde who now rested on her elbows. "I've been hard to deal with. I'm aware of the fact that nobody loves me." She rested her chin on her knees, looking vulnerable. "That hurts, you know? It has been a long time since anybody showed affection toward me. Every time that somebody approaches me, it's to get something. How do _you_ expect me to trust anybody living the way I do?"

The blonde tilted her head to the side and tried to read the Queen's face. She looked for any scheming or acting, any lie the woman possibly could use against her. There was nothing in those words but truth.

"Do you want talk about it?" The Knight asked.

The Queen shook her head and looked down.

"No. I don't want to disturb you with my silly problems." The brunette had to bite her lips to suppress the grin.

The Knight shrugged. "Okay. I'm here if you want to talk."

With that, the woman laid on the grass and started whistling. Her eyes were closed, but she could sense the gaze fixed on her.

"What?" The blonde asked.

"You have something on your chin."

The girl's eyes shot open as she rubbed her chin.

"Is it clean?"

The brunette chuckled.

"Can I?" She lifted her hand and the blonde nodded. The Queen rubbed her thumb on the Knight's chin then locked gazes with her. She still couldn't define the color of those soulful young eyes. Blood-red lips twitched in a shy smile. "There. All clean."

She retrieved her hand, her eyes never leaving the younger woman's.

Suddenly, the bird started to sing. Both women snapped from their moment and looked at the creature.

The Queen stood up and started walking away. "I have to go. Tomorrow the messenger will come with the news about the battle. I'll let you know when he arrives."

"Good night, Your Majesty."

The brunette looked down one more time and smirked.

_It's going to be so easy, darling. Just wait and see._

* * *

It was around midnight when Emma woke from her nightmare. She looked around and was terrified by the fact that she wasn't in her apartment. It took almost a full minute for her remember that she was at Ruby's. She took a deep breath and attempted to calm down before she tried get up. Her hands were shaking and her legs couldn't bare her weight. Images from the bad dream were still running wild in her mind.

Without thinking, she grabbed her phone and texted.

**Emma: **_Are you awake?_

She laid on the couch again and closed her eyes. A layer of cold sweat covered her forehead and neck. She could hear her own heartbeat. Since she wasn't expecting an answer, she almost jumped in shock when the phone vibrated in her hand.

**Regina: **_I wasn't until you sent me this text. This better be something important, Miss Swan._

The girl gulped through her guilt, but answered.

**Emma: **_I'm sorry… It's just that I had a nightmare ._

**Regina: **_And why in the hell do you think I'm the proper choice, of all people, to talk to about it?_

**Emma: **_Because it was about you…_

Emma stared at her phone for almost five minutes before she got an answer. She knew that this was totally past any boundary the two of them had set, but the dreams were getting worse and she didn't feel comfortable talking about them with anybody else. She was hoping that they would stop soon like they always did. But this time was different. Now they were getting more vivid and scarier any time she fell asleep. Since that day, she wasn't able to have a decent night of rest. She didn't know what else she could do.

It wasn't the first time she had thought about texting Regina. But it was the first time she had actually done it.

And she was very surprised with the answer she got.

**Regina: **_Do you want to tell me about it, Miss Swan?_

**Emma: **_I don't know. Why do you ask?_

**Regina: **_I need you to be awake for work. I'm trying to help you to be able to sleep now so you won't use your desk as a bed tomorrow._

The girl smiled at her phone as she finally began to relax while she read the message.

**Emma: **_Thnks. That's very sweet of you._

**Regina: **_Is that all, Miss Swan? I want to go back to sleep._

The blonde rolled her eyes and huffed. That woman was so hard to deal with that Emma was kicking herself for sending the first text.

**Emma: **_Yeah, that's all. I'm feeling better now. Good night, Regina._

The girl closed her eyes once more, taking a deep breath, and after a few minutes she was asleep again. It wasn't a calm rest, but it was the best she'd had in a whole week.

She was almost in a good mood the next morning, which caused Ruby to ask her if she had a good dream.

The blonde scowled and didn't answer.

They walked to Granny's and ate breakfast together before Ruby's shift started. Since neither of them was a morning person, the meal was relatively quiet.

"What are the pie and the extra coffee for?" The young brunette asked with her mouth full of pancakes, her eyes settled on the paper bag that Granny had put on the table.

Emma swallowed the piece of donut she was chewing then chuckled at her friend's behavior. "Have you never learned that it's not cool to talk with your mouth full?" She raised an eyebrow in mockery. Ruby just shrugged then took another bite. "That's for Regina."

At the sound of the professor's name so soon that day, Ruby choked on her breakfast and coughed violently.

Emma burst into laughter when she was sure the brunette would survive.

"Relax. I just wanna thank her for not firing me." The blonde said before her friend could make any comment about inappropriate behavior around teachers again. She also felt guilty about waking up the woman at midnight, but Ruby didn't have to know that.

"When did this start, anyway?" The brunette frowned and narrowed her sky-blue eyes at Emma.

"When did what start?" The blonde tilted her head in confusion.

"You two being… friendly." The young waitress had to think about what word to choose. She wasn't sure about the term and wasn't very comfortable with the one she had used.

Emma chuckled and shook her head. "We aren't friends. The thing is: I can't murder her. She's my paycheck." The girl winked at her friend. "Besides it's nice being able to work with someone so good looking. It would be a waste of a pretty thing if I just killed her." Pink lips curved into a mischievous smile.

"It would be for a bigger cause, y'know?" Ruby said with a short laugh. "But now tell me how things are going with that cute guy?" A mischievous grin took place on thin, red lips.

"Which one?" A blonde eyebrow raised in confusion.

"You know who! That hot waiter from the Rabbit's."

"Graham?" The pale girl asked with amused surprise. "I didn't talk to him after that day."

"Why not?!" Blue eyes widened as Ruby's face expressed her shock.

Emma shrugged. "He's nice. But I'm not looking for a relationship now."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot that you are a lonely wolf." Ruby rolled her eyes.

"What about Woodie?" The blonde teased. "I've noticed that you're not hunting lately. Should I be concerned? Ruby Lucas was finally hooked?" Emma laughed at the sight of her friend blushing. "OH MY GOD! YOU _WERE_! I can't believe it!" She laughed even more after the other girl didn't answer.

"Don't you have work to do?" Ruby asked with an annoyed huff that made her friend laugh even harder.

Emma braced herself and tried to breathe while she wiped a tear from her eyes.

The blonde grabbed the paper bag and stood up. "Hey, it's okay to like somebody, Rubes. If he's a decent guy, go for it. You deserve to be happy." Emma winked at her. "There's no shame in liking a sensitive writer. I know lots of girls _and boys _who would kill for an opportunity like that. Besides, he's actually kinda cute."

Ruby smiled at her friend and lightly pushed her shoulder. "It's not _this_…"

"You don't have to be afraid of having feelings. I know the last time didn't end well, but that doesn't mean that this time things will be the same. You just have to let it go and let it roll." Emma sighed as she remembered her own past. "If you wanna give it a shot, just do it. Stop overthinking. Don't let the opportunity pass and then regret it later."

Ruby bit the tip of her thumb and smiled sheepishly.

Emma squeezed the brunette's forearm then left the diner as it started to attract its usual breakfast rush.

* * *

The blonde walked at a lazy pace around campus. She held the office key in her palm and thought about _The Fire Bird._ She was intrigued by the book and the woman's attitude. She smiled to herself when she compared the professor with the Queen. It was a silly comparison, but nobody could deny the way they had the same temper.

With those thoughts in mind, the girl entered the office and faced Regina. The woman regally sat on her enormous black chair like she was sitting on a throne. The girl chuckled and dark-hazel eyes glanced at the young woman over her reading glasses. The professor was the perfect sight of the "naughty teacher" fantasy.

Emma dropped the bag on the teacher's desk and walked toward her own to pick the first paper she would review that day.

"What is this?" The brunette asked pointing to the bag with a pen.

"A snack. I wanted to thank you for not firing me." The blonde answered without looking at the other woman. "And for the other things you've done for me." She looked up to meet those eyes.

The brunette took her glasses off and bit the stem of it.

Emma drank in the sight, narrowing her eyes on the tongue that was lazily running across the tip of the stem as the woman checked the content inside of the paper bag. The corners of red lips turned up in the smallest of smiles before she covered it with her usual, unexpressive face.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" The brunette looked up to the girl and nodded. "Why did you choose _The Fire Bird _for me to write about?"

Regina pursed her lips into a thin line and studied the blonde for a moment. She rested her elbows on the desk and laced her fingers together before resting her chin on them.

"I chose it because it's my favorite book." She explained.

Emma tilted her head and offered a small smile. The girl was surprised when the brunette continued.

"My father used to read it to me before he tucked me in." Regina's eyes were distant as she remembered her childhood. Her voice was soft and a sad smile painted her lips. "He had this enormous chair that he always sat on when he read. Every night he would sit me on his lap and read me one chapter of that book. It was the only moment we had together just for us."

Emma listened with interest. It was so rare to hear the brunette talk about herself that the girl couldn't help hearing Ruby's voice in her head.

"_I think she likes you."_

The student shook that thought away before she spoke. "That's a little heavy for a bedtime story, don't you think?"

The brunette gave her a smile._ A genuine one._

"Yes, I guess it is. But I always loved it. I felt safe on my father's lap and I knew it was just a story."

"Why did you ask me to write about it?"

The professor raised an eyebrow like she was internally asking herself the same thing.

"I wanted to know how other people see the story. I think I was curious about what it looks like when somebody read it for the first time."

"Hm… Why me?" It was a reasonable question that Emma kept thinking about since the moment Regina trapped her on that day.

"Your speech about villains." The woman simply said. "And, as I've already told you, I read the original paper. I wanted to test you to see if I was right about you."

Emma frowned. "How come?"

"You aren't like the rest of people. You see the world from a different point of view."

"Did you just compliment me?" The girl teased; a dangerous move considering their past.

She had been walking through a mine camp and she knew she would step on a bomb any second now. And yet she was just too intrigued by Regina to keep her mouth shut.

Things had changed without any sort of warning. They were civil with each other and that was a good thing. But they weren't ready for this kind of conversation yet.

The brunette rolled her eyes and then turned her attention back to the paper bag. She bit a piece of the pie and chewed it slowly, tasting the sweet flavor of apples and syrup. She swallowed it then licked her lips.

Emma's eyes never left those sinful, red lips.

"Don't get so cocky. You have potential, yes. But is not like you are the best I've ever seen." Regina said.

"You would be surprised…" The girl murmured with a devious smile.

"Did you say something?" Regina raised an eyebrow as she positioned the glasses back onto the bridge of her nose.

"Nope." Emma tried miserably, suppressing her grin.

They locked gazes for a long moment, studying each other, before they got back to work.

* * *

"Hey, I was thinking…" The girl started as she awkwardly shifted in her chair. "Since my first class today is yours, we could… I don't know… Get lunch together?"

Regina sized up her student with amusement. The girl was lightly blushed and ran a hand through her hair twice while she invited her teacher to share a meal.

"I'm afraid I'll have to refuse this invitation, Miss Swan. I already have plans for lunch." The woman adjusted the glasses with a delicate gesture while she looked back at her computer screen.

Emma shrugged and stood up. "Look, I got some stuff to do. I'll be back around five then I'll work until seven. Can you let me know what you need or just leave it on my desk?"

The brunette shook her head. "That won't be necessary. I'll stay late today. But, when you come back, you can stop at the library and pick up some books that I need. Will you?" The girl carelessly shrugged and nodded.

"Which ones?"

"I've already called Miss French and asked her to have them prepared for me. You just need to tell her that I sent you." The professor said. "And since you are going there, take those with you." She pointed to a big book pile that was resting near the window on the bookshelf.

The blonde thought a bit while she picked up the four books. She would have to stop at the library before she went home to get her lock changed. She made a mental note that traced where she would have to go that afternoon: deliver books at the library, change apartment's lock, eat something, Regina's class, go to library to do some research for a paper, history class, grab boss' books at library, go back to Regina's office to work.

She growled when she thought about it. She decided to add a stop at Granny's to get a milk-shake and a bear claw before coming back to the office.

The girl was so lost in her planning that she didn't notice that the carpet's edge was rolled up. When she stepped forward, her foot got stuck under it and the girl fell to her right side. She felt arms grasping around her waist in an instinctive move and tried to turn around to see what was happening. The sudden movement caused both women to fall off the chair and roll on the floor with Emma on top of Regina.

The girl locked gazes with the woman beneath her for almost a full minute before her attention was caught by full, red lips.

"_I think she likes you." _Ruby's words yet again repeated in her head.

She felt the heat of the brunette's body pressed against hers and without thinking about the madness she was about to do, Emma leaned in and pressed her lips against Regina's.

The professor abruptly broke the kiss and pushed the girl away.

"What the hell are you doing?" She nearly yelled with wide eyes.

"I… I thought that you wanted it!" The blonde answered in confusion. "You let me lay over you for a long time and bite your lips and-"

"Get out!" Regina hissed as she still sat on the floor.

Emma just stared at her before the brunette spoke again through gritted teeth.

"Get. Out. Now!"

The student silently picked the books up, grabbed her backpack and walked away with agner starting to boil inside her.

Why did Regina react like that? She had been so kind and jovial around the girl… The woman even felt comfortable to _share _a_ personal_ story with Emma! She had allowed the blonde to lay on top of her. She had taken care of her that night and answered texts in the middle of night… She had wrapped her arms around Emma's waist to try to _protect_ the girl. Countless times green eyes had met intense hazel ones during classes. There were so many suppressed smiles and grins that the woman would try to hide under her emotionless mask. There were so many things going on that the blonde couldn't help the feeling of rejection grow inside her.

Had Emma misunderstood everything? The professor was just trying to be _polite_ all that time?

The girl felt sick when she thought about it. She clenched her jaw and pressed the books hard against her stomach. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She decided she would follow with what she had planned for the day. She couldn't screw things up even more. She needed the job. And, if she was going to be honest, she wanted to keep spending some extra time with Regina.

On the week she was away, the blonde girl had time to think about a lot of things. She realized that the topic most frequent on the top of her mind was the sexy brunette. Not only because she was the most attractive woman she had ever met, but mostly because of what they had been through together.

It was a rough beginning, yes. They fought a lot, pushed each other's buttons, bickered and _both_ were extremely annoying.

But looking back now, knowing the professor's reasons, Emma couldn't help thinking that Regina wanted to be kissed. Ruby was right about thinking the brunette liked her. There was no other explanation as to why the woman had done so much for her. And the blonde was sure she liked her too.

_Stop it! Stop thinking about her. She's your _teacher_. Even if she liked you, it can't happen._

The blonde swallowed hard. Her throat was tight and her eyes burned. She wouldn't cry. She had cried enough for somebody else in her life. This time she would simply ignore the feelings and act like nothing had happened. For her own sake.

* * *

It had been a long time since the last time she was late for Regina's class. Since the girl started working for her teacher, she had no reason to do so. On the first week, she kept to her usual fifteen minutes of delay. When things started changing in their relationship (if it could be called that), the blonde slowly became more accurate with her schedule.

That day was different, though. Emma even stopped in front of the classroom door and watched a bit from the outside through the little window on the door. She looked at Regina and, even if she wanted to come in and prove that everything was okay between them, the blonde caught herself frozen on the spot.

Instead of walking inside and joining the class, the student stepped back and walked back to the library. There, she felt safe.

She spent a lot of time on the books, sinking into work, and purposely avoided the Internet that day. She wanted to make her work as difficult as possible so she wouldn't have time to think about other things. She was running away from her own mind. She was keeping herself busy.

_Empty minds are the devil's factory._

When she looked the time she cursed internally. She was late for history class. She wouldn't mind it at all if she hadn't had a test that day. Not that she was concerned about her grades. She knew she would be fine. She just she didn't like to do things in a rush.

But she crossed the Campus in a rush and was almost there when she bumped into someone.

She hurried at such a speed that the impact made both people fall on the ground and, for the second time that day, Emma faced those intense brown eyes just a few centimeters away. For the second time that day, she felt the heat from the professor's body against her. For the second time that day, she was on top of Regina Mills.

This time, though, she quickly stood up and offered a hand to help the woman get up.

When the brunette just stared at the hand without any visible reaction, the girl retrieved her arm and ran toward class. She didn't have time for this shit now.

She took a seat and immediately cleared her mind of everything that wasn't history related. She focused on the test that rested in front of her and started reading and writing violently.

* * *

The milkshake and bear claw were placed on the desk as the girl walked around it. She sat in her chair and hadn't looked up once to meet Regina's eyes. She could feel the cold gaze on her back and the tension in them room was so thick that it was almost possible to touch it.

They didn't say a thing for almost an hour before the professor broke the silence.

"What the hell was that?"

Green eyes looked up and focused on dark-hazel ones. Emma noticed how the brunette's pupils were dilated and gulped with a chill running down her spine.

"What was what?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Miss Swan."

"I'm sorry I bumped into you earlier. It was an accident." The girl knew that wasn't what this talk was about.

Regina clenched her fists and her knuckles became white.

"Why did you kiss me?" The woman demanded, clearly done with the dismissive answers Emma always gave her.

"I don't know, okay?" The blonde confessed in a frustrated sigh. "I guess I misunderstood the signs. I thought that it was okay to do that when you didn't push me away when I fell on top of you." She dropped the papers she was reading on the desk and pressed her fingers to her temples.

"I am your _teacher_ and your _boss_, Miss Swan. That was highly inappropriate to do." Regina started. "I could – and I must add that I _should_ – fire you right now. I could even get you expelled." Emma looked up again in shock. "First you break in. Then the outburst and you miss a whole week of work. Now you kiss me. I'm starting to wonder if you _want_ to be expelled."

The girl stood up. "Yeah, Regina. You're right." The woman's eyebrows nearly shot into her hairline in surprise. "I screwed up. I've done a lot of shit and here we are. You still didn't do anything. Not even fired me." The girl walked toward her boss who now was standing in the middle of the office. "Why is that?"

The professor was rigid in her spot as the girl looked defiant toward her.

"I was grateful for you saving me the other day."

Emma chuckled dryly.

"Is that so? So why take care of me, Regina? Why answer my texts at midnight?" The blonde came closer, invading the brunette's personal space. "Why look at me in class? Why hire me for this job in the first place?" The girl couldn't help but bite her bottom lip when she stared at ruby lips. "Tell me why the fuck you didn't push me away when my body was pressed against yours today? _Twice._"

The professor continued to keep still in place and showed no emotions.

"You wanna fire me? Do it." The blonde growled. "But just don't pretend that you didn't want it." Emma stepped even closer while she whispered the next few words, her lips brushing against Regina's. "Because you did. You still do."

The brunette stepped back.

"You can pick up your stuff. Leave the key on my desk on your way out."

"What?" The girl asked in confusion.

"You are fired, Miss Swan."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: _Thaaaaank you, guys! I'm so happy about the reviews! And I'm sorry I can't answer each of you personally... But I read them all and make my best to include what you suggest. I hope you like reading this one and I promisse good things are coming soon._**

**_Also, I wanna thanks my lovely friend Sultry Sweet who was my beta on this chapter. She's awesome and if you didn't read anything of hers, you totally should!_**

**Warnings: **_**This chapter contains mention of self-mutilation, attempt to suicide and sexy moments. Most of the scenes are pretty graphic and can be emotionally disturbing.**_

* * *

The chamber was illuminated by the strong flames burning in the fireplace. The big, red velvet curtains were closed and the place had shadows spread all over it, giving the room a darkness that is found only in horror stories or really romantic ones. Seeing the Queen laid on the bed in her silk nightdress made the Knight consider cautiously each one was the best way to describe it.

"I thought that was a serious meeting." The voice came under the metallic helmet.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Do you _have_ to wear those things every time you come to see me?"

The Knight stopped in front of the bed. She chuckled. "No, I don't. But I kind like it." She admitted.

"Take it off, will you? I want to see your pretty face." Her voice was a husky purr as she sat on the bed and looked straight at the woman who crossed her arms over her protected chest and tilting her head to the side.

"No. I'm comfortable this way." The answer with annoyance and the Queen frowned. "Let's focus on the battle. What's new?"

The brunette stood up and walked toward the mirror. Her hips swung with a natural motion as she slowly crossed the chamber and elegantly sat on the small chair in front of it. She took a brush and caressed her hair emitting soft low moans as she did.

"My men arrived to the defensive line and set their camp next to Charming's. A message was send to your king and I'm still waiting for an answer." She pursed her lips in disgust as she referred to the man. "They are expecting the enemy attack in the morning, maybe even in the final hours of night."

"What about the attacking front?" The young woman let her hands rest on her hips.

The brunette turned around to face the armed person.

"I didn't hear from them." She frowned and pursed her lips in a thin line as she thought about it. "I'll send a messenger soon."

"I spoke with my King and explained the situation. The answer came this morning and he said that, although he doesn't trust you, he's grateful for your help as much as I am."

The brunette smiled at the Knight and rose to her feet. The black silk slid over her body and adjusted perfectly against the olive skin.

"I appreciate that." She placed the brush on top of the small table then walked toward the Knight. "Now that we are done with business, do you mind taking at least the helmet off? I want to see your eyes."

The Knight crossed her arms over her chest and studied the woman in front of her. She decided doing what she was asked and slowly let the helmet slide off and revel the pale young face and golden curls that fell over protected shoulders. Red lips curled in a victorious smile.

"There. That didn't hurt, did it?" She stepped closer, but the blonde just stared at her. The Knight knew what the Queen was trying to do and decided to play her game.

"Are we done?"

The brunette gave her the sweetest of the smiles. "Care to talk? Please?"

She couldn't help the laugh as she heard those words. "Yeah, sure. Why not?" She shrugged as dark eyes rolled. The older woman sat on her bed and sized up the blonde.

"How old are you?"

"Old enough to lead an army." She carelessly shrugged.

"It doesn't seem like you are. I wouldn't say that you are over twenty-five."

"I am not." She smirked without giving any further information.

The Queen patted the spot next to her, inviting the young blonde to sit. As she did, the brunette stroked a lock of golden hair behind her ear and locked gazes with her.

"What motivates somebody to join an army so soon, dear?" The curiosity was obvious in the Queen's voice.

"What makes a Queen so powerful so soon?" The question hit the darker woman and she froze for a brief moment.

"Touché." The brunette stood up in front of the other woman between her legs. "You know… You are too pretty to be in such a violent environment." She cupped the pale cheek and the Knight closed her eyes and leaned in to the touch. The Queen grinned at the reaction.

A slim finger ran over the bottom lip of the woman who was sat on the bed and the blonde parted her lips, touching the tip of the nail with her tongue. The brunette gasped at the contact and her eyes darkened even more with lust.

This would be twice the fun she had imagined.

The powerful woman leaned in and brushed those sinful lips against delicate ones, her hands sinking in silky golden tresses. The tip of her tongue caressed the mouth of the other woman. The Knight inhaled deeply and kept her eyes closed, supporting her weight on her hands.

"And you are a _very_ sensual woman, Your Majesty." She grabbed the wrists of the Queen and tossed her on the bed. She positioned herself on top of the powerful woman and placed a knee between her parted legs.

The woman moaned in pleasure and anticipation and grabbed a fistful of blonde tresses in such a way that made the Knight hiss in slightly discomfort.

"And for sure you could have me easily…" The blonde pressed the knee even further against the woman's sex and the Queen thrust her hips forward in response. "If it wasn't for a little detail."

The blonde woman bit the brunette's bottom lip and sucked it hard, earning another moan from the woman.

"And what is that, dear?" The Queen purred and tried to control the sounds that easily came out of her mouth without her permission.

The Knight leaned in and ran the tip of her tongue across the Queen's jaw before she teased the woman'ser earlobe. She nipped the soft skin then whispered lowly in a husky tone that made the brunette under her shiver with desire.

"I am not a man."

With that, the blonde pulled away and stood up, taking her helmet from the floor. She put it on and walked away from the chamber with a huge, amused grin on her face while she heard the Queen yell at her.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Look at my face, Miss Swan. Does it look like I'm kidding?"

Regina's expression was hard. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at her student. Of course she wasn't kidding. Emma restrained the urgency of rolling her eyes. She was screwed enough, desperate enough, to try her luck again.

"Look… I need the job." Emma started speaking after she took a deep breath. She was angry, frustrated and feeling awfully rejected. Still, she had bills to pay.

"You should've thought about it before you crossed the line."

The blonde bit her lips and looked down at her boots as her cheeks colored in a bright shade of red. She was ashamed.

"I'm sorry, ok? It won't happen again."

As the words came out of her mouth, Emma instantly regretted it. She closed her eyes to avoid the tears that came out. _Not now. Not in front of people. Not in front of her._ But the memories haunted her. She felt the guilt of a little girl. She heard the screaming before the spanking. She felt the hard grip on her arm and the sharp nails sinking into her skin. She felt the push against the wall that made the air stop coming into her lungs. She remembered the week she was fed only with old bread and water.

She bit harder until she felt the cooper flavor on her tongue. She clenched her fists letting her nails sink into her skin for the first time in years. The physical pain would suppress the emotional one. No marks would be seen.

She promised herself she would never do that again, but she had been breaking that kind of promises a lot in the last few months.

Emma swallowed the blood, took a deep breath and looked up. She did her best to look strong. She wouldn't act like this in front of anybody. If she had to break, she would leave as soon as she could so no one would witness it.

"I know that you wanted it, Regina. Don't deny it." Her voice was stronger than the way she actually felt. Years of hiding emotions can teach you a lot of things.

The brunette just stared the girl without giving an answer.

The girl shook her head, grabbed her backpack and walked toward the big desk next to the one that used to belong to her. She placed the key in the middle of it, on top of the papers Regina was reading before this situation had started. She crossed the doorway and stopped. She hesitated before turning on her heels and faced the woman again.

"Why a feather?"

Perfect eyebrows almost touched the brunette's hairline in surprise and confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

The girl pointed to Regina's right wrist that was covered with one sleeve of the red shirt.

"I saw the tattoo the day I saved you."

"That's none of your business." Her tone was cold and dangerous. Regina's body tensed as she uncrossed her arms, fists clenched at her sides.

Hearing that defensive answer, Emma felt confidant again. She knew she had touched a sensitive spot.

She stepped forward, closing the door behind her. She placed the backpack on the floor and crossed her arms over her chest. She lifted her chin in a defiant way.

"It's because of the book, isn't it? The first gift the Knight gave the Queen. The feather represents hope." Regina opened her mouth to speak but the blonde shook her head. "You try to make people believe that you don't have feelings, but nobody sees behind your mask, right? You push people away because you are tired of being left behind. You are tired of being abandoned." The student blinked as she heard her own words finally understanding the situation.

"You know nothing about me." The professor barked.

Emma smirked and uncrossed her arms. She slowly walked toward the woman.

"I don't know you." The girl offered a sad smile. "But I _do_ know abandonment. I saw it many times before. I've _felt_ it more times that I can count." Green eyes caught the fear on brown ones. The mask was still there, but the girl could see right through it. "The difference, Regina, is that I am a nice person. I don't let anybody in, but I'm not a cold-hearted bitch who snaps everybody and is a complete asshole all the time."

Regina rolled her eyes and walked toward the bookshelf. When she spoke, her voice was controlled.

"You can't make such comments about people, Miss Swan. You reveal too much about you and can be wrong about the others, just like you are now." A delicate hand ran over the books on the shelves and stopped on a glass decanter. The brunette filled a glass and took a sip. "If you are trying to get your job back, you are not doing it very well."

"It would be really nice have my job back, yeah." The blonde agreed. "But that's not the reason I'm saying this. You know I'm right about you. Otherwise, you wouldn't avoid looking at me or be so defensive about what I said." The student sat on the couch, resting her forearms on her knees. She watched as Regina turned to face her with a cold stare.

"You should be careful about what you say and do."

"I'm not scared of you." Pink lips twitched in an amused grin.

A small chuckle escaped from lips when she remembered she had almost lost her mind only a few minutes ago. The blonde thought about how emotional triggers could be tragic. It takes only a single word to make your world tear apart. It takes only a smell or even the sight of a common object to make memories pop into your head and make you feel like air doesn't exist anymore. In a moment, you are fine and the smallest of things just takes you down.

The most you fight to forget, the most you remember. There are times that fighting is not enough.

The girl knew that well enough. And she was trying to find Regina's trigger.

Not because she wanted to cause any harm, but exactly the opposite: she wanted to make the woman feel something. Sometimes, people are just like phoenixes: they need to burn to ashes to then rise again as the beautiful creatures they can be.

It's weird the way some people keep themselves closed off for so long that they stop feeling things. They try to avoid suffering, so they don't allow any emotion in. They are afraid that, if they have something good enough to make them happy, this thing will be taken away and they will suffer. They are afraid that they don't deserve something good. They start thinking that it's better not having any expectations so that way they won't have to be disappointed anymore.

"_Not feeling anything is an attractive option when what you feel sucks."_

For a very long time, Emma felt this way. It took too much for her to see that life could be good, that she _deserved_ to be happy. She had to learn it alone. The scars on her body were proof of this. The ones made by other people _and_ the ones she made herself.

The people who should love her and take care of her did this.

How was she supposed to think she was worth of something good? How she was supposed to believe that anybody could love her when her own parents left her the moment she was born? How could she ever believe that she deserved happiness when everybody left her at some point?

She looked down at her wrist. The thin, long, white mark there reminded her of that night… She was alone on her cell. She had just given birth to her child and was send back. Nobody had stayed in her life: parents, friends, him… And now… Her son.

She didn't want him to live the same life she had, but life with her would be even worse. She thought she didn't deserve him because she loved him so much, even if she had never held him in her arms. She thought he didn't deserve a mom like her.

He deserved to be happy. She didn't.

The nineteen year old girl took the scalpel she had sneaked from the hospital. She ran it on her finger to test the blade and watched the red liquid come out in a fluid motion. She didn't feel the pain she had expected. Maybe all the years of being punched and mistreated made her immune to pain. The physical kind, at least.

Now everything would be over. Finally.

She ran the blade across the thin skin of her wrist and tried to make it the deepest cut she could. She laid and waited.

Closing her eyes, the girl felt the blood covering the sheets of the bed and soak the thin fabric under her skinny, tired body. The dizziness and the cold came after a few minutes. She inhaled deeply and the smell made her smile. Soon, life would stop being a problem. _She_ would stop being a problem.

Emma looked up to catch Regina's gaze. She wasn't afraid of the woman. She would never be. The blonde could see a part of her own emotions inside those hazel pools. She could recognize the feelings… Fear, abandon, loneliness… It was all there, burry under the cold mask. The brunette used her social barrier as a way to stay strong. The girl could understand perfectly why. She had done the same. She still did.

"You should be, Miss Swan."

The student shook her head again.

"No, I shouldn't. You _want_ me to because you feel like power is the only way you have to be around people. The fact is that you actually think that keeping people away will make you capable of not hurting yourself."

The girl stood up.

"I could get you expelled." The professor took another sip and sat on her chair, studying the girl. She appeared being in a state of cold calm and Emma sensed that she was bluffing.

"You won't do that."

"You thought I wouldn't fire you and look where it led you to." Regina pointed with a devious smirk on her face.

The blonde stiffened and watched carefully the woman to decide whether or not she was lying about her threat od expulsion.

"You didn't answer about the feather."

The smirk disappeared immediately from those marvelous red lips.

"I don't owe you an explanation."

"You didn't own me one about the book and yet you told me anyway." Emma shrugged carelessly and walked toward the desk, turning around it to trap Regina in her chair. "You also didn't have to spend the whole night and sleep by my side because of my nightmares." Again, the blonde had started to cross boundaries. This time, she didn't care anymore. She could see the woman better than before. She could understand why she had pushed away. "You didn't have to make sure I was ok about my nightmares when I texted you either."

The blonde placed her hands on each armrest of the chair, her eyes fixed on hazel ones. She could see the panic start to form there. She could sense Regina felt trapped.

"I thought you trusted me. Isn't that the reason why you gave me the key?"

The brunette bit her lower lip.

"No, Miss Swan. I gave you the key so you wouldn't have to break in when I asked you to do something for me." The professor kept her voice calm and low. "But if you insist to know, you are right. The feather is because of the book. It's about trust and hope."

A huge grin spread across her face. "See? It didn't hurt admit I'm right."

The professor rolled her eyes in an annoyed way.

"You know I see things differently from the rest of the word. I don't see the villain everybody in this place sees in you." The girl tilted her head a bit as she caught those pretty eyes widen. "All I see is a woman who had a hard time in life. I don't know what made you like this. And, in fact, I don't care either. You tell me if you want. What I care, Regina, is that you are a human being. You can try to hide it, but I know you have feelings. You don't have to be alone."

A dry chuckle filled the room as the woman rose to her feet, forcing Emma to step back.

"And you think _you_ are the person who should be there for me, dear?"

"Nope. I'm not that cocky." The blonde laughed. "I just think that having me is a little better than having no one at all. Besides, I'm pretty good doing my job here."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"If you fire me, you will have nobody around again. _And_ you can't deny that I'm competent in what I do. You like my notes and observations."

The brunette frowned and crossed her arms over her chest again.

"You are trying to convince me to not firing you because I want company?"

"_Nooope._ I'm trying to convince you to keep me working with you because I'm good at what I do. Having me around is just a bonus." The blonde smiled at her teacher who huffed in annoyance.

"How that would be a bonus? You _kissed_ me. That was completely out of line, Miss Swan. Besides, you are reckless and I don't need to remind you the other things you've done to deserve your punishment." The brunette sipped at her drink again and finished it. She rested the glass on top of her desk and turned to the girl with an eyebrow raised when the girl spoke.

"Okay. I screwed up. So punish me the way you think is better." Emma let out a tired sigh and walked toward the couch again with her hands up. "But don't fire me, for fuck's sake!"

"Language, dear." The woman pursed her lips in disgust. "I'll think about it." She raised her finger to silence the girl who was smiling in triumph. "_However_, I will not promise that you will have you job back. You will have to _earn_ the position. Any mistake of yours and I will make you regret for asking me for a second chance, Miss Swan."

Emma sank on the couch and growled.

"Is that _really_ necessary? Why don't you just punish me and everything is fine?"

The professor grinned deviously.

"Who said I wouldn't punish you?" The grin fade and she added in a serious tone. "And you don't _ever_ dare to talk about how _I_ feel again. That's none of your business. You have no right."

The girl rolled her eyes and pressed her temples.

"And the only reason I'm considering this is because I've got a lot of work to do here and an extra hand is quite useful. It's not that I can't handle, it's just that is easier this way." She pursed her lips before adding. "You don't deserve this, Miss Swan. I expect you to understand that I am not interested in you and even if I was…" She sized up the girl and her lips twitched in disbelief. "I'm your teacher. This could cost my career."

Emma inhaled deeply. She was tired, with a horrendous headache and was done with this. She looked and her phone to see what time it was and stood up abruptly.

"Holly shit! It's almost ten!" The girl growled when she remembered of Ruby. She texted her friend telling she wouldn't go to the Rabbit that night.

The professor frowned and looked at her own phone to check the time.

"Look… I can't promise I won't screw things up again. That's kind of my thing, actually. I always mess with what's good for me." The blonde started as she walked toward the brunette again. "The only thing I can say is that I'm trying really hard here. I _will_ do something that you won't like. I'll probably say things you won't like. And I'll do things my way and that will make you mad at me. Just the way things have been." She sighed and bit her lips. "You don't want me. I'll pretend that I believe that. But I'm still here if you want to talk about things that are not work related, ok?"

A forced smile appeared on red lips.

"Very well. And though I appreciate your concern, _dear,_ I think it's too late for us to be here." Regina answered with her voice full of sarcasm.

"And here I was thinking that you were human…" The blonde shook her head as she grabbed her backpack. She walked out the office and shouted over her shoulder. "Good night, Your Bitchiness!"

Emma laughed in relief while she walked through the Campus toward her apartment. Maybes things would be easier from now on.

* * *

No. They wouldn't.

She realized this when she woke up the next morning one hour earlier than usual to run before going to work.

Emma decided that, if she was going to make up for the things she had done wrong, she would have to get to the office earlier and would have to spend her energy running for releasing tension to avoid any conflicts with her boss. Besides, she knew there would be no extra time after work since she would go back there every day after classes.

The blonde was still mad at Regina for rejecting her so she was more than motivated to run.

Plus, waking up earlier made her mood even worse, which made her run faster and scream louder than usual when she reached the beach.

The nightmares were back and that night she dreamed with the night she gave her son for adoption.

It was a memory, not a dream.

There was blood on the bed. There was the pain of given birth. There was the scream and cry from the baby. There was the loneliness. There was her dark, cold cell. There was the dizziness, the chills, the smell. There were the memories of years being treated worse than garbage. There were memories of the good times with him, when she believed she was in love and that she could be happy. There was rejection and scheming against her. There was abandonment. There was death coming to take away all the suffering she had experienced.

That time she could hear the Death whispering in her ear. Her cold breath caressed her skin while life was slowly ripped from her body.

"_Sleep, my child. Now you belong to me. You claimed me to take you and now I'll give the peace you wanted."_

Death's voice was sultry sweet. It had a delicate tone. It was sensual and comforting.

"_All this will be over soon. Just let me have you, will you?"_

Then she began to watch the scene like she was watching a movie.

A lifeless body laid in a prison bed. Blood covered the sheets and started to drip onto the floor from the wrist that fell from the edge of the mattress. Every drop reached the floor in slow motion like the life that slipped away from her. The blood drops reached the floor without making any sound. A dark pool formed on the concrete. There was no light other the moon's rays that dared to enter the space and make everything even more melancholic.

"_There, there. Do you feel better now, my child?"_

The touch on her skin was cold and sharp, like an ice blade. Death stroke a lock of dirt blonde hair beside her ear. Not the body's. _Hers_.

Her breathe smelled like rotten corpses and sulfur. She didn't have eyes, just black holes in her skull. Her touch was smooth and tender. She leaned in and kissed the girl's mouth.

Death was seducing her. The connection was a mix of the best of kisses with the worst of the feelings.

Death embraced her, making her move closer. The rough tongue ran on top of her lips, asking for permission to enter. Sharp teeth nipped her lip as Emma allowed being used like this one more time.

Death's touch was patient. They had all the time in the world.

Green eyes closed and she let the darkness drink her life away.

Emma fell onto her knees with tears in her eyes. The sand cut her bare skin but she didn't care. The girl carved her nails over her tights, hoping that the pain would make the images go away. The angst filled hiss would be loud enough to attract attention if there was anybody around.

She was alone there, though. As always.

She scratched her arms when the legs were completely sore. Then her neck and her back. She knew that there would be no marks, no evidence of this. Nobody would ever know.

After so many ears trying to stop… _Nasty habits die hard_.

The girl tried to stop then. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to say _"Fuck this shit" _and prove that everybody was wrong about her.

She could make it. She deserved good things.

It was only every part of her body hurt and she felt like her skin was burning that she finally stopped.

Images of last night still ran wild through her mind.

Pain versus pain.

The results were always the same…

* * *

The girl arrived early at the office just to remember that she no longer had the key. She growled and sat next to the door, waiting for her boss.

The book was placed in her lap and she allowed being dragged into it.

It wasn't until she heard the click of the lock that she snapped from her stupor and noticed she wasn't alone anymore. Looking up, she caught the sight of Regina in her dress pants and heels head inside of the office and letting the door open. _That's a good sign._

Emma stood up suppressing a groan and hiss from escaping her mouth as she straightened her clothes.

She walked toward the brunette's desk, placed the paper bag on top of it and then moved to her own chair.

Without a word or even a look at the woman, the student took a paper in hand and started to read. Her mind worked even harder that time to avoid the thoughts and memories that threatened popping out of her mind any second. She went deeper in her fight for control that day.

As time passed, Emma didn't even notice how much of the day she had worked through until the professor called her name a few times.

She looked up to stare dark-hazel orbs and Regina told her it was lunch time. The girl silently nodded and finished reading the paragraph, made some notes and finally dropped it on the wooden surface.

"Can I have the key back? I'm gonna stay late today and I'm thinking on get here earlier tomorrow."

The brunette sized her up in suspicion but walked toward her desk and picked the key up before she handed it to the blonde.

Regina didn't say a thing but she thought Emma was too quiet that day. After watching the girl work so hard, oblivious of what was happening around her, the brunette just assumed that the girl was trying to make up for her mistakes.

Nobody else noticed the atypical behavior of Emma that day.

Nobody ever did.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **_**I'm **__**so**__** sorry for the delay on this chapter, guys! Just after posting chap 12 I cut my hand and wasn't able to write until this week. I also blame Sultry Sweet for distracting me from this story and giving me ideas to new fanfics (that I'll post as soon as I can).**_

_**To make it up, this chapter is longer than usual and lighter than the others.**_

_**All mistakes are mine.**_

_**I hope you like it!**_

_**Let me know how you feel about it**_

_**;D**_

* * *

"_If you charm me, my life will be filled with sun. I'll know the sound of steps that will be different from the others. The others will make me get under the ground. Yours will call me out of my burrow like music." __(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)_

* * *

The Queen stormed inside her garden that night. She was way beyond furious as she walked toward her apple tree to discover that neither the Knight nor the bird was there.

The powerful woman was just about to have a rage attack when she saw the arrow hanging on the trunk of her marvelous tree. She narrowed the object and approached it carefully, looking around to be sure about the security of the place. When she didn't see or heard anything that could indicate some possible danger, she walked straight to it.

Looking at it closer, the brunette noticed the small piece of paper attached to the steam of the arrow. She reached the note and analyzed the delicate handwriting before reading it.

"_I am sorry about how our meeting ended today, Your Highness. I cannot tell if you were doing it because you enjoy my company, because you are lonely, or because you had something else planned. Either way, I should have treated you differently. You deserve better than me, I am sure about that._

_I know you are angry with me, so I decided skip today's attempt to bond with the magical bird to give you time to think about what you really want from our relationship – or whatever you prefer to call what we have . Keep in mind that you won't have my body unless you earn my heart first. That is what I meant when I told you I am not a man. My actions are motivated by my feelings, not by my primal instincts._

_I cannot just give myself to anybody before having the person's affection._

_I am sure you, as the marvelous woman I know you must be, will agree with me that everybody should give themselves the minimum of self-respect._

_As a peace offer, I left a little box with a gift to you on top of the vanity in your chambers. Before you get angry, let me explain that I didn't go there without your permission. I just asked to one of your servants to place it there while you were at the garden tonight._

_This gift represents a message; something I realized a few days ago. I won't explain it just yet, but I hope you will appreciate the gesture as well the present._

_I will see you tomorrow to talk about the war."_

The Queen read the note over and over again and wondered why the Knight hadn't bothered to sign it. Then occurred to her: she never asked her name. It wouldn't have matter if the blonde had written it because the brunette never cared to know.

As the woman walked back to her chamber, she tried to restrain the smile that insisted forming on her lips. Once she realized it wouldn't disappear, she convinced herself that it was only because she was amused with the idea that the girl considered she could give anything worthy of the Queen's attention.

What in hell a simple knight could offer to a queen as a present?

Plus, the simple assumption that the powerful woman could ever develop any kind of feelings for somebody like her was simply ridiculous.

And, yet, she was curious now. What would be the Knight's name? Not that she cared, anyway.

The girl would be nothing more than a fun distraction. And she deserved a lesson for the way she treated the brunette. Nobody disrespected The Queen like that without a punishment.

At the moment she walked inside her chambers and her eyes rested on the object that was on top of her vanity, all thoughts and anger were vanished from the woman's mind. She was shocked by the sight of it, even if she had been warned that it would be there.

She grabbed it carefully and examined the long, thin wooden box. The top was simple and elegant carved with the draw of an apple. The sides had draws of a garden and the front had a delicate image of a bird. The box was handiwork and made especially for her. The brunette let the tips of her fingers trace the drawings' lines before she opened it and revealed the red velvet interior. Her eyes studied the gift with curiosity as she cautiously placed the box on her vanity and took the red feather. She lifted it and noticed with pleasure that it could be used to write. With a small movement and a little help from the light provided by the fireplace, she noticed how the object shone beautifully changing its colors from red to orange or yellow.

The Queen must to admit that the blonde had good taste.

She carefully put the feather back into the box and closed it.

When she looked up to the mirror, she caught sight of her own smiling reflex and immediately frowned.

She was supposed to be mad with the woman, not being all happy because of a simple present.

Wait, what? _Happy?_

Since when she thought about anything like happiness? The last time she considered having something so _naïve _like that she was still a young girl who used to daydream about true love and fairy godmothers. That was a time when she used to ride without a saddle and nobody would make a comment about how savage that was. That was a time when she wasn't a lady, but a girl with hopes and faith.

The brunette shook her head as if she could shake away the unwelcomed thoughts and memories.

She laid on her big and comfortable bed and closed her eyes waiting for a sleep that didn't come.

After tossing and turning countless times, she finally managed to have a restless nap. She dreamed about pink, soft lips pressed against hers. She dreamed about a velvet tongue caressing her mouth. She dreamed about long blond tresses tickling her neck while a knee was placed firmly between her legs.

*** FIRE BIRD ***

As it was expected, the Queen's mood the next morning was the worst possible.

Before breakfast she had already yelled at two guards and called three servants incompetents without apparent reason. The woman was a true beast and nobody dared cross her path that day.

It wasn't enough that that infuriating girl had disrespected and rejected her… Oh, no! She had to disturb her night as well as her dreams!

The Queen walked from a side to another in her private chambers trying to figure it out a way to calm down. She wouldn't allow anybody to know about this and how she felt. She looked up to the mirror for a moment before her eyes sat on the wooden box. Her face softened instantly despite the anger she was feeling.

It had been a kind gesture. She couldn't deny it. And it was a very thoughtful gift…

The woman inhaled deeply as she sat on the chair in front of her vanity. It was extremely important now to her keep calm and think straight… She knew now that the blonde was willing to give her a chance. The Knight _did_ want her. The only problem now it would bury her emotions deep down, control her anger and the rejection she felt and act like she was sorry about how things had happened.

This was different to seduce a man, she realized. This was a process to conquest a heart. This was about more than bodies: this was about emotions.

Feather in hand, the brunette grabbed her diary and started writing.

_Soon, my dear…_

*** FIRE BIRD ***

The Knight walked in the War Room wearing her armor, as usual. Her steps were confidant and gracious, as if her body completely ignored all the efforts to carry the heavy layer that meant to serve her as a protection. In a certain way, this was true: the blonde was so used to the extra weight that she felt all too light without it.

Unlikely her usual behavior, when she faced the Queen this time the blonde woman took off the helmet and bowed her head in a respectful greeting before looking straight into brown eyes.

Just one look.

It was all it took to her read the powerful woman's emotions.

The brunette motioned her to approach the large table where a map of the Lands was settle. They studied it in silence for several moments before the Queen spoke.

"The attack line suffered a delay when trying to pass through the Green Valley." Her tone was cold and distant. "According to the message I received this morning, there was a rock sliding a couple weeks ago and the main path got blocked." She pointed to the area on the map and pursed her lips when the other woman leaned closer. "They had to use the Troll Bridge to access the other road and that caused them to slow their pace. They expect to make it until noon today."

Golden curls slid down metallic shoulders as the Knight nodded without saying a word.

"The last time I've heard from the defensive line, there were no attacks initiated yet." The Queen walked away and sat on a chair across the table.

The Knight nodded and asked softly.

"Is that all?"

They locked gazes for a long time in a defiant staring contest. Neither of them was willing to give up the power or the upper hand in the situation. The air was thick with tension and both women held her heads up and their posture straight.

Green.

Finally the Queen was able to see the color of them. But now they didn't look so young and full of joy. Those weren't girl's eyes or even soldier's ones. No… Those eyes were full of sadness and hurt. They belonged to a woman who lived enough to know better than trust anyone. They belonged to a soul much older than her body.

Green… Just like Lake Nostos during the spring. The lake whose waters had the power to bring back what once had been lost. How ironic was that?

The Queen wondered about how marvelous it would feel to take that jovial bright from those deep, soulful pools. She could see in the girl all she once had been, all she wanted to be: strong, free and happy.

And now she would take it from her. She would crush the warrior's heart with her bare hands and watch as the youth and love being tore apart from that strong and yet delicate body.

"How many battles you were in?"

The blonde woman frowned at the unexpected question.

"About thirty and something. Why?"

The brunette tilted her head to the side and rested her forefinger on her chin.

"Those are plenty. Even to older soldiers."

The blonde sighed and shook her head.

"I guess I started fighting for life early. I was born in a place where 'justice' it was nothing more than a word and I had to take care of myself when I was just a child." She offered the Queen a sad smile.

"So you are aware of what I'm putting in risk sending my men to help your king, aren't you?"

"A war is never the best way of dealing with things. If I had a choice, I would never start a battle…" The blonde turned away to avoid look at the brunette. "And I know you are doing this to stop Ares. You don't want risk your own kingdom turned into a battlefield. You don't want your people suffer more than life already makes them to."

The Queen frowned at this. She had never actually thought about it in that way. She didn't want to lose a part of her domains. She didn't want to lose control and power. The people whom she _controlled_ weren't exactly on top of her priorities.

It was unsettling the idea of somebody thinking about her with such a hope of seeing any good in her heart.

"Are you happy?"

At this, the blonde turned to face the woman who was looking at her intensely. The younger woman opened her mouth to answer but she had been caught off guard. She sighed, feeling suddenly tired as she let her shoulders fall.

"After seeing death and misery the way I did? The answer that you must being expecting is probably 'no'. It's hard to believe in happiness when your whole life was build up in battlefields. It's hard to have hope when you are dying from starvation. It's hard to have faith when you are injured and lay on the ground just waiting for death." Green eyes captured brown ones as the Knight spoke and the Queen just couldn't avert her gaze. She felt those words sinking so deeply and saw so many emotions inside the girl's eyes…

"But, even after all I lived and saw… Yes. I am happy."

The brunette's eyebrows rose in surprise and her eyes widened.

"How's that?"

The sadness was more than evident when the soldier spoke.

"I guess that I'm just thankful for getting out of there." She shrugged. "Things got better for me, you know? I'm still on the fighting thing, because it's the only thing I know how to do. But now I do it for helping the others. I no longer fight only for me and that's enough for me to say that I'm happy." She smiled as some sweet memories took care of her mind.

"Are you saying that you are happy for the others?"

She shrugged. "I guess that's a good way put that, yes."

This was a completely new concept to the Queen. Never before she had thought it was possible meeting anyone who was genuinely selfless.

They remained in silence again. This time, however, there wasn't tension like before. This time, it was like they were _looking _at each other, not _staring_.

"I appreciated the gift."

"I'm glad you did."

"Why a feather?"

The Knight chuckled. "I don't think you are ready to know that just yet."

This time it was the Queen's turn to frown, but she didn't comment it. She decided let the woman take her time to decide when she would start to open up.

"What's your name?" The blonde frowned again and tilted her head. She crossed her arms over her chest and bit her bottom lip. "I've noticed that you didn't sign the note and I was curious about it." The brunette added, although she didn't know why she wanted to explain herself to the other woman.

The Knight nodded but didn't answer.

"Why won't you tell me?" The Queen was curious now.

"It will make any difference?"

"I see… Honestly? I don't know. But at least I'll have something else to call you than 'White Knight'."

"And I keep calling you 'Your Majesty'? Doesn't sound too fair, don't you think?"

The Queen chuckled. "I guess not."

A short smile took place on the blonde's face.

"Very well… Then I see you later, _Your Majesty_."

The Knight bowed her head, put the helmet on and walked away, leaving the Queen to wonder what in name of the gods just happened.

* * *

"Go! Go! Go! Go!" The crowd cheered around the girl who was turning her fifth tequila shot in a row, salt and lemon long forgotten as beer was being spilled all over the floor.

At this point of the party nobody even cared anymore about what song was playing. They knew it was a loud pop hit. Katy Perry's _Last Friday Night_? It certainly would fit the context. This was one of the wildest parties they had in the last year or so. Even wilder than the one where a drunk kid jumped off the roof of a house into a pool and almost drowned.

You could see people kissing in every corner and making out over any flat surface: not only couples, but even three or four people with their mouths attached and their bodies flush against each other.

The beer-pong had turned into a strip-pong game and nobody cared about the drinks anymore because everybody was already drunk till their bones.

Everybody around the girl with the tequila shots raised their glasses when she finished the tenth one and raised her arms in a victory motion. Somebody started singing "We are the Champions" and a collective laugh was shared.

A pretty brunette with long legs and a beautiful grin approached the tequila-girl and wrapped an arm around her waist in a clumsy try to help her friend to stand up. Everybody around them started whistle and cheer. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

Both girls laughed and locked gazes in a silent conversation to agree to put a little show before they left the party. They leaned in and their lips touched. Just a small peck on the lips before running hands along each other's body. The tequila-girl bit the brunette's bottom lip and grinned when people around just went mad with the sight.

"That's all, folks!" She shouted before slid her arm around the tall brunette and walk away.

They were almost at the front door to leave when a boy slid an arm around the taller girl's shoulders with a wide smile on his lips.

"Hey, gorgeous."

"Hey, babe." Ruby leaned in and kissed the guy with her arm still holding her blonde friend. "Help me to carry her to my apartment?"

"I… I'm okay." Emma growled and tried to straight up. "I can go to my place."

August laughed while he took the sight of the girl's attempt to walk alone. He was actually impressed that she hadn't had passed out yet.

"Ok. We'll just walk you there than." The boy offered.

It had been a while since Ruby and Woody started officially dating but Emma could understand her friend now. August could be a total geek sometimes, but he was gentle, kind and pretty cute. And, _maaaaan!_ That guy knew how to party. Who would guess? He never got too drunk and yet he also was never the shy boy that he appeared to be in the college halls.

The night was colder than the previous ones but neither of three seemed to notice it as they walked together. More like they carried Emma around, but well…

It took longer than the usual time to reach the blonde's apartment and it was harder too but they finally managed to get there without real problems.

Aside the headache on Sunday "morning" and the feeling that she was hit by a bus, Emma had a really good weekend and was almost waiting for the Monday come.

After the depression of the previous weeks, the nightmares were stopping and her mood was improving quickly. She was just glad that she could get some rest without waking up in the middle of the night.

* * *

"A martyr." The professor chuckled humorlessly. "Self-sacrifice to help other people…" She stopped her slow walk around the class and locked gazes with the blond girl on the last seat in the row. "People are not capable of self-sacrifice. They fool themselves and the others to believe in that, but the truth is that _everybody_ has a personal interest when they make a decision." She averted her eyes from those dangerous green ones and finally sat on the desk. "A martyr is supposed to be a hero. However, it can be consider like that if he just wanted the glory, in first place? Won't that be a selfish act, even if it helps another person?"

"You are speaking for the others, don't you think? How can you be sure that the act wasn't for pure instinct of helping somebody in danger?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow.

Regina pursed her lips in a thin line and narrowed the girl.

"Let's analyze the circumstances on literature than. Give me one example where the brave act wasn't some selfish act in any level from a character that is considered a martyr."

"Joana D'arc." The blonde crossed her arms over her chest and leaned in the backrest of the chair. "She led her army without second thoughts about it, even knowing the risks. She was burn _alive_ because of that."

The brunette tilted her head and offered a smile that didn't show any kind of amusement.

"The woman claimed that _voices_ told her what she should do. So, technically, she was just doing what she was told to." The sarcasm dripped from her mouth as venom drips from najas' fangs. "But let's just say that you are right. She didn't want the glory. What qualify her as such a high category? Why people admire her so much?"

The girl gritted her teeth.

"She was a woman who led an _entire army_ into battles in a time that only men had the right to voice out their thoughts. She was a very successful leader. She had to dress up like a man to earn some respect. She fought for her people. She _protected _them. She _cared_ about them, even if she didn't personally know who she was protecting. She just went there and helped." Emma stopped talking and let the words sink before continued. "Sometimes people just do that, y'know? They just want to make sure everybody is safe. People actually _can_ care about the others without expecting anything in return."

Green eyes narrowed the teacher who was with that annoying motionless mask on again.

"Otherwise, am I supposed to think that if someone helps me it's only because this person wants to _pay a favor _or that they just want something from me?"

The blond girl couldn't help the anger boiling inside her. This was ridiculous. This whole conversation was out of any lines and absolutely pointless. And, yet, she wouldn't just let Regina say something like that without any kind of answer. It had been long since the attack at both of them. Emma even stopped having nightmares and was thankful for keeping her job. Things were going so well…

Until the moment somebody made a damn comment about the power problem in the building, than somehow it turned into a light sabers discussion that ended up with Darth Vader and that led to a talk around good versus evil and now they were on the martyr/hero subject. Why conversations always get those weird twists and end up in something completely different from the first topic?

She didn't understand why Regina was acting like that. First the woman was acting weird at work. And now she was talking like she was trying to send a twisted message to Emma and the girl just felt really annoyed by the entire situation.

It was a weird feeling that something was out of the place but she just couldn't figure it out what it was.

The good mood the weekend provided her faded as easy as it came. A déjà vu feeling caused the girl roll her eyes while she remembered the first weeks as a Regina Mills' student.

Things had changed a lot and still looked the same.

The rest of the class was filled by narrowed eyes, staring contests and a big tension between both women. Emma even considered being late for her next class to talk with the brunette but she decided doing it later at work. She was still going to the office twice a day and her boss used to do the same, so she probably would have time to talk with her then.

"Miss Swan, may I have a word with you?"

The girl stopped at the doorway and turned around with an over-dramatic sigh.

"Regina, I got a class now." She answered annoyed. "I'll go back to the office later."

The professor raised one perfect shaped eyebrow and pursed her lips.

"I want you to write an essay about the importance of a hero to a community and his role in the society."

Emma's jaw nearly dropped to her chest in disbelief. She narrowed the teacher and readjusted the backpack on her shoulders.

"Why the fuck would I do that?"

The professor took a step towards the girl and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Because I said so."

Letting out a frustrated sound, the student turned her back to the brunette and started walking away. She stopped herself and turned to face the professor again, rage boiling inside her.

"You know, Regina… Sometimes you are just a fucking bitch. No surprise that nobody likes you or respects you."

"_Excuse me?"_ The woman visibly tensed, clenching her fists and jaw.

"People only treat you right because they _have to_. And I said to you that _I_ would only respect you when you started respecting me." Emma approached with her forefinger pointed to the professor. "I know that I'm not in position to talk to you like that, but it's fucking annoying and damn frustrating trying to at least _talk _to you. No matter what the subject is, you always push me away!" The girl opened her arms in a motion of redemption.

"We've been through a lot in the last couple months. We spend the whole morning _every fucking day_ and even some afternoons together and yet we never talk about anything besides work! You can't even _try_ to treat me as a person and not as an object!" She let out a sigh and shook her head. "Respect, the same way as trust, must be _earned_. Nobody here respects you. They fear you."

"It works the same." The brunette answered. "As long as they do what I tell them to, then everything is _fine_."

Emma shook her head again and let her backpack fell on one of the students chairs. She looked up to the woman again and continued.

"No, it's not. People don't exist so you can have what you demand." The blonde rested her hands on her hips and stared at the professor.

"Must I remind you that you have no say on what I do or say, Miss Swan?" Regina asked with a not-amused-at-all smirk. "And that is your work to do what I tell you."

"The hell it is!" Emma snapped.

Why this woman should be so infuriating all the time? Why things could never be easy with her?

"I am NOT your slave, Regina!" She crossed her arms over her chest and bit the inside of her cheek. "Why are you doing this? I thought we were beyond the point where you punish me. If you didn't notice, I'm doing double shift. And I'm doing a good job. _And_ I bring you an apple pie and black coffee _every_ day because I know it's your favorite. What did I do to deserve the punishment this time?"

The student finally was exhausted of all this crap. She just wanted things to go back to the easy days when they didn't have awkward discussions like these ones.

"I'm not doing this to punish you." Regina turned back to Emma and started organizing her things inside her purse. "Aside the completely inappropriate messages you texted me this weekend, I don't have any reason to doing so."

This was news. She didn't have sent any messages this weekend. Not to Regina, at least.

"Wait, what?"

She started thinking back to all people she had texted since Friday night, making a mental list of the topics of each one. Suddenly, she felt the air coming out of her lungs and the blood draining off her head. It couldn't be. _Please, not this._

"What was… What was written on the text, Regina?" The blonde forced herself to ask, even if she already knew the answer.

The professor turned to her and handed her phone so the student could read what she had send.

_Oh boy… This is bad… Oh fuck… Shit!_

Emma dropped on the closest chair feeling her cheeks burning while her widened eyes scanned the screen. She bit her lip and kicked herself for drinking too much so she could send the texts to the wrong person. Saying that she was embarrassed would be a huge understatement after she read the last message she thought she had sent to Ruby,.

"This… Those weren't supposed to be sent to you." The girl said in a low voice while she stared the phone in disbelief.

"I figured that, after almost being fired because of this kind of behavior, you wouldn't tell _me_ that you would… What were the words?" She grabbed the phone and read it aloud "_Spank that regal ass until she moaned my name_." She scrolled the screen and read another one. "_The sexy bitch is driving me crazy."_

Emma curled herself on the chair covering her face with her hands as Regina kept reading the messages.

"Oh, this one is funny." The professor's sarcasm was so obvious that the blonde nearly screamed in anticipation. "_That woman needs somebody to fuck her brains out so she could enjoy life a little bit. I wish I could do that for her_."

The blonde kept her mouth shut for once so she wouldn't have the chance to put her foot inside it one more time. _Now_ everything made sense. _Now_ she could understand why Regina was so pissed at her.

"So, Miss Swan…" Regina started walking toward her. Emma looked up and stared at her in shock when the brunette stopped in front of her just a few centimeters away. "I won't punish you for this." She ran a hand through golden locks and leaned in to whisper in her ear, causing the girl to freeze in panic. "Not with a silly paper, at least."

She chuckled throaty and walked away.

_What the hell?!_

The clicks of the heels against the floor made Emma snap from her moment and follow after the teacher. She was way too late for her class, anyway.

There was no way Regina had meant to say what the girl was thinking she was implying. It was just… No! Absolutely no way!

While they walked back to the office, Emma couldn't help but picture countless scenarios to try to explain this kind of reaction from the teacher. Given the way she acted after the kiss, the blonde had all the reasons to find this behavior suspicious, to say the minimum. She didn't know what to expect next.

It would be a dream coming true if the professor made some move on her… That body being pressured against hers; that voice moaning in pleasure; her intoxicating apple scent getting attached to her clothes; those scarlet full lips making their way down the girl's torso…

Emma shook her head and tried to focus on the present. This was a trap. This could only be a trap.

"What the hell was that?" She hissed while she closed the office door.

"What do you mean, dear?" Regina asked with such a neutral face that the student almost bought it.

"You know _exactly_ what I mean!"

"Oh, right. The paper is for Wednesday. And I need you to read those too." She placed a few documents on the student's desk and the girl growled.

"I don't get it!" The blonde finally exploded. "First you are mad at me. Then you made an insinuation like that. Now you fill me with work. What the fucking hell is wrong with you?"

The brunette casually sat on her chair as nothing was going on when she spoke.

"I think that is better for you to watch out your tone, Miss Swan." She looked up to the girl who now was standing on the middle of the office tapping her foot on the floor. "The paper is because I'm going to present a thesis on a congress next month. I was asked to select a student to write a work of his/her own about the same theme so I will have to write a work about how my classes affect the comprehension and the thinking capacity of my students." The professor put her glasses on and started typing on her laptop.

Ok. That wasn't _as_ bad as Emma first thought it would be.

"So you are ok with the texts?" The girl asked cautiously.

"Of course I'm not." The woman not even gave the trouble of looking at her student.

This answer got the blonde wondering what the teacher meant, but decided to not push any further by now. She knew she was lucky that Regina didn't act on this. She probably would be screwed again if the brunette did.

And now, thinking about it… Why the professor still wanted her around? The more she did something fucked up, the more the woman surprised her letting Emma stay. The professor had once told her that the girl saw the world different that the way other people did. She even complimented her work… But then the blonde messed with everything and pushed too far.

The student sighed and pressed her temples.

This was too confusing and too frustrating.

And it was kind of humiliating. This was the second time that Emma admitted being attracted to Regina and, in both occasions, the brunette had rejected her.

Of course the first time was harder. But, well... This actually did nothing to help Emma feels better about the whole situation, even if the professor was kinder the second time.

That thought made the engines in the girl's brain start working.

Green eyes focused on the woman sitting behind that imposing desk and studied carefully her body language. Despite the elegant posture, her shoulders were a bit relaxed. Her face was neutral, but there were no tension marks that the girl noticed that often appeared when the brunette was angry. There was no sight of the vein popping out of her forehead. And her lips were almost imperceptibly curled up.

And just like that, the truth hit the blonde.

Regina was amused with the situation.

Now, the woman had a joker in her hands. She could handle it as long as it suited her and play the card at the best moment.

Suddenly, Emma felt really insecure and vulnerable. She felt like a paw on a chess game. A piece that would be used and discharged when the right time comes. She felt like she couldn't trust the woman who was sitting in front of her.

The student took long time thinking about the possibilities. Eventually, she decided she had to get back to work, but not even this was capable of keeping her mind totally busy and away from the dark thoughts.

The girl tried to think in the best scenarios, but none really came up to her mind.

Everything led to her abandon issues at some point... She was afraid that Regina would get tired of her at some point and fire her for good. She was afraid that she wouldn't be good enough and that she would do something bad again. She was afraid of the things she didn't know and couldn't figure it out.

The brunette was a mystery. And that _was_ driving Emma crazy.

And then, something clicked inside her. A little spark of hope fluttered inside her heart as some memories hit her.

"Do you want me to write about a particular character or about the general idea of heroes?"

Dark-hazer eyes locked with emerald green ones before the brunette looked back to the screen of her laptop.

"Whatever suits you."

"What if I choose a character that is pictured as a villain?"

This time the girl had the professor's full attention. The woman stopped typing and leaned against the chair as she removed her glasses.

"What do you mean?"

"I know that I'm supposed to write about the importance of the hero in society. But what if my concept of hero doesn't fit the normal use of the word? What if I don't believe in heroes?" Emma shrugged, as if the questions were as casual as talking about the weather.

Regina bit one of the steams of her glasses and thought about what her student was saying. Indeed, this was something new. And could be interesting having something like that to present...

"Tell me what you have in mind."

* * *

"Truth or dare?"

Emma rolled her eyes and sipped her beer. She knew what kind of challenges Ruby would dare her to. And she wasn't in the mood to pick up anybody that night.

"None."

"Laaaame!" The brunette chuckled. "You have to pick one."

"No I don't." She smiled tiredly. "But since I know you won't give me a break about this, my choice is truth."

A devious smirk formed on red lips as the girl thought about a question.

"What was the craziest thing you've ever done?"

The blonde grinned at the question. There were a lot of "crazy" things she had done in her short life. It was actually hard to think about one that _wasn't_ crazy at some level.

"Working for the devil counts as an answer?"

Ruby cracked up and shook her head.

"I know you can give me better material than that."

The blonde took another sip and looked around the bar as she remembered a crazy moment of her life that could be shared like that.

"Skinny dipping." She watched her friend raising an eyebrow in amusement. "In a private club." Ruby leaned in over the table to hear more about it. "With a boy and another girl." She took a sip and grinned when she finished her story. "And caring a lot of pot. We almost got caught." The girl laughed about the memories.

_The three teens climbed the fence that surrounded the country club each one caring their own backpack with _supplies_ for the night: booze, snacks, weed and even cigars were included. The idea of sneaking inside the club came while they were at the park and decided they wanted to swim._

_The boy drove them there and parked under a tree so the car wouldn't be seen so easily at night._

_Since they were used to do stuff like that, it didn't take long so they were stripping near the pool. The two girls made a little show for the boy as they helped each other to getting naked. He approached them and kissed the blonde passionately while the ginger one kissed his neck. When they broke apart, the girls started kissing and caressing each other with the boy sandwiched between them._

_It was a warm summer night. The full moon made enough light to them enjoy the poor sight of their naked bodies and the little waves on the surface of the pool. The water was at the perfect temperature and the place smelled good with the scent of the grass fields that surrounded the area. Since the club was a bit far from the city, it was possible to see the dark sky filled with countless starts. It was absolutely beautiful._

_Fun. That was the word that described the whole thing. That was what they were looking for. That was all they wanted at the time. And this was just perfect enough for them._

_Street kids don't usually have a lot to themselves, so that was the way they could get it. And as the time passed, they learned not feeling guilty about it. Or regretting what they did._

_They were young and life had already taken all they got. So why not enjoy the few things they could do, even though if it was something "wrong"? They weren't hurting anybody. They just wanted a good time._

_So they took it. The kids jumped in, heads first. They played and laugh. They kissed and made out._

_It was all bodies and hands and arms and legs and tongues._

_It was all pleasure._

_It was all lust._

_Desire._

_Fun._

_Until the security of the club heard all the noises and came to check what was going on._

_The three teenagers just had enough time to collect their clothes and bags and ran away still naked. When they reached the yellow bug, nobody could breathe properly. They dressed in a rush and got into the car. It was only when they finally drove away and their chests weren't aching for the effort that they started laughing about it._

_The blonde leaned in and pecked the boy's cheek before turning to the ginger girl on the backseat and placing a chaste kiss on her thin lips._

"You turn. Truth or dare?" Emma asked with a shit-grin on her face.

The brunette sipped from her bottle and then placed her forefinger on her chin as she was thinking about the question.

"Dare."

"I dare you to tell me what you feel about August."

"Cheater!" Ruby accused her with a piercing gaze.

"How is that cheating? I'm daring you to do something I know you wouldn't in normal circumstances!" Emma laughed.

"But you are cheating anyway!" The girl with the sky-blue eyes whined.

"Stop being such a baby and answer!"

Ruby put her tongue out and made a face while her friend merely rolled her eyes and sipped her beer.

"Is that or running topless around the Campus. You choice." See that the girl was really wondering about it made Emma burst into laughter. "You can't be serious about this."

The tall brunette simply shrugged and sipped her beer. It wouldn't be the first time she had done something like that. On the other hand, however, she wasn't in a serious relationship at the other times.

"I can't answer that because I still don't know how I feel." She paused for a moment, thinking about the times they were together. "He's so much more than what I thought at first… He's funny and smart. He treats me like a real man… It's different. To him, I'm not just a hot chick he picked up. And I like this. Somehow, he makes me feel beautiful. Not my body. _Me."_

Emma smiled at her friend. She knew that Ruby wouldn't give in so easily because of what her ex-boyfriend done to her. Even if the blonde didn't know all the details, she knew it had been bad. Seeing that the other girl was finally giving another chance to "love" made her mood improve a lot. She was so used to her own loneliness that watching a friend come out of that was enough to make her feel glad.

"And he got the abs. Damn! You should see him without a shirt, Em. He's _hot_."

The girl burst into laughter again, almost spitting her beer over the brunette.

"Remind me never eat or drink near you again."

"Oh, come on! YOU were the one who made me laugh while I was drinking!"

"Hey, it's not my fault that you can't stop yourself from laughing!"

"You could have waited until I had swallowed it." The blonde pointed out with a smile.

Ruby rolled her beautiful eyes and sighed in an over-dramatic way.

"So tell me, if you were in a desert island and you could have just one book, which one you would have?"

Emma frowned in confusion and then thought about it. It was hard to pick just one…

"The Fire Bird, I guess…"

"Pffff! I would choose a survival guide, dumbs edition. Make sure that I wouldn't die in a stupid way."

"You would be eaten alive in the first day by wolves." Emma laughed.

"Naaah. I think I would make the wolves my pets and become an amazon queen."

"Yeah. Of course you would." Emma finished her bottle with a sarcastic grin.

* * *

A small smile planted on pink lips when her ears picked the sound of heels reverberating around the big halls of the library. The sound was distinct and carried with its own signature. The steps were firm and led the person without hesitation to her destiny. The girl chuckled a bit when they stopped.

_Five… Four… Three… Two… One…_

"Miss Swan, what the hell are you doing here?"

The girl looked up, subtly checking her boss outfit for the day. Black tight pencil skirt, a red blouse letting show a discreet amount of cleavage, a well-cut black blazer and knee-length high heel boots. Her makeup was a bit darker than the usual causing her amazing dark-hazel eyes look a bit lighter and her short brown hair was perfectly smoothed as always. She looked stunning. And dangerously powerful.

"Looking good today, Regina. Any special occasion?" Emma whistled in appreciation as she tilted her head a bit.

"The meeting with the rector, don't you remember? You were supposed to be in my office fifteen minutes ago!"

The girl finally stood up with wide eyes.

"Oh shit! It was _today?_ I thought you had said Thursday!"

The brunette shook her head and pursed her lips trying very hard to not yell at the girl.

"I said Tuesday!"

The girl checked her phone and sighed in relief when she saw what time it was.

"The meeting it's in fifteen minutes. We can make it in time." She frowned and locked gazes with the professor. "How did you know where I was, anyway? And why didn't you just call me?"

Regina rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

"I did call you, but you wouldn't pick up. And I just followed a lucky guess, since every time I meet you out of my office or the classes you happen to be inside here. Seriously, dear? You are so predictable." The professor sized up her student and huffed as she ran a hand through her silky hair. "Am I supposed to think that you are going to a meeting with the boss of your boss dressed like that?"

The student looked down to her grey tank top, skinny black jeans and brown boots and shrugged.

"Is not like I have anything better to wear, anyway."

The girl followed the teacher back to her office and watched with curious eyes as the brunette opened a cabinet of the bookshelf and handled an elegant simple white shirt to her.

Emma's eyebrows hit her hairline in surprise and opened her mouth to speak but the words didn't come.

"I always have an extra shirt here, just in case." The brunette answered the non-spoken question. "A prevented woman worth twice, dear. Now dress up and let's go."

The student turned back to the teacher and took off her own shirt, tossing it carelessly inside of her backpack. She buttoned it quickly and tucked the hem of it inside of her jeans. She looked at the mirror and let her hair go from the messy ponytail she made before coming out that morning. Slim pale fingers smoothed the curls the best she could and she turned back to face the woman who was sat at the couch waiting for her not so patiently.

They headed in silence to the rector's office and waited outside while his secretary announced them.

Emma noticed how anxious Regina was, even if the woman didn't show it on her face. The girl restrained the urgency to touch her and try to calm her.

Although it was still surprising to Emma that somebody could make Regina so tense like that, the memory of how the teacher reacted to her mother's presence was something to go by. It was in moments like this that the student could remember that the brunette was more than just a teacher: she was human. She had feelings.

And judging by the rector's fame, the girl could see why the professor was so tense.

During the time she had been in college, Emma had heard some rumors about many things: professors who slept whit their students, teens who used to break in and steal tests, the corpse in the water tank, the ghost in the Engineering building… But none of them was as weird as the rector's fame.

The man was even more feared than Regina. The students used to say that his own son had run away because he was afraid of him. There were people who said he killed his wife because of he was jealous of her. His power wasn't something to contest and he had "earned" the position after making lots of deals. Apparently, the rector had a lot of dirty under his carpet. But if he felt, he would bring half of the world with him.

The door opened and a middle aged man with long hair appeared. His dark suit was well-cut and seemed to be very expensive. He wore a black shirt and a grey tie under his blazer and was supported by an elegant cane with a golden handle. He bowed his head in greeting with a creepy smile on his face and motioned with one hand to them to come in. The girl noticed the ring adorning his ring finger on the right hand: it looked like made of gold with a diamond cut in a circular shape. Everything about his appearance screamed _power, money _and _danger_.

Different from Regina, the rector's posture was a bit relaxed, as he had the confidence that he had all the odds in his favor. He looked imposing but not in the same regal way that the teacher. It looked almost like he was mocking the other people just for their existence.

As Emma walked inside his office, she couldn't help but feeling nervous. The place was dark and everything inside it was made of dark wood or letter. It would be similar to Regina's, if weren't by the fact that the man closed the curtains and all the illumination was provided by lamps. The girl compared them and concluded that she was so uncomfortable there the exactly same way she felt comfortable in her boss' office.

"Regina! How great to see that you finally found a student that suits your expectations!" His voice was soft and low. His tone was cheery but Emma could identify the hints of sarcasm as he spoke. He sized up the girl and offered a smile that didn't showed in his eyes. "Miss Swan… I've heard a lot about you. Please, have a seat."

The girl glanced at Regina as she sat on one of the big chairs in front of his desk. She didn't want to show how nervous this man made her feel, so she just took a breath and smiled the best way she could.

"Only good things, I hope."

"Oh, yes. Of course. I've heard that you are quite a particular student." The man held a folder and started reading it aloud. "Scholarship, won a prize while in high school, has a book published…" He raised an eyebrow as he looked up to the blonde girl. "This is quite impressive. When did you write it?"

Emma clenched her fists on her lap. She knew he was aware of when and why she wrote it.

"A few years ago. It's not a big deal, actually." She shrugged dismissing him, as she tried to not stand on the subject any longer.

His smile grew wilder as he took knowledge about how he was affecting her.

"I already can see why you choose her. She's really a catch."

Regina tensed visibly but offered a polite smile to him.

"I'm aware of her qualities, Gold."

He chuckled and turned to the file again.

"Oh. This is interesting. Tell me, Miss Swan: how is growing up in the system? I'm asking because it's not usual seen many students with a record like yours and it's even more surprising, given the fact you were a foster child."

The student clenched her jaw and it took the best of her to not storming out in that very moment. She didn't like to speak about her past and the way he spoke made her feel that he was way too much interested in knowing about it.

"Well, since this is an official meeting, rector Gold, I prefer not talking about my personal life."

He grinned deviously and Emma could catch the sparkle in his eyes.

"Of course. So let's move on, shall we?"

"What's this meeting for?" Emma finally asked.

The man carefully closed the file and laced his fingers together as he rested his forearms on the table. He looked at Regina than at her student and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, the girl had a bad feeling about what she was going to hear.

"You see, Miss Swan… Working for a teacher is seen as a great honor here at Storybrooke's University. We expect only the best from the ones who are chosen to be part of our _team_." Emma noticed the way he pronounced the last part and grew even more suspicious. "We are giving a ball to honor our best students at the end of the semester, so this includes you." He pointed at her and leaned in his chair. "But it came to my concerned some incidents involving you and Miss Mills here."

"I beg you part?" Regina asked genuinely surprised.

"Is it true that she broke in your office, Regina?"

The girl frowned and waited for the teacher's answer.

"Yes, it is." The woman pursed her lips and crossed her legs.

Emma could swear that in that moment the temperature in the room fell a few degrees. If she wasn't cold before despite the obvious choice of the low temperature, now she was more than conscious about it.

"It is also true that you two had an argument other day during a class?"

"Don't be ridiculous." The professor snapped. "I'm way too professional to have an argument with _any _student during a class."

"That's why I was so surprised when somebody came to me and told me that you were having trouble with your students. Are you losing your ways, Regina?"

The professor chuckled wryly and leaned forward.

"Does it really look like I'm having trouble with Miss Swan, dear?" She asked knowing the answer as the rector glanced to the girl and shook his head. "She's even going with me to the congress next month. You know I would never do that if I wasn't absolutely sure about her work and her efficiency."

"Hey, can you two stop talking as if I'm not in the room?" Emma finally stood, angry about the way she was being treated. "By the way, when did I agree in coming with you anywhere? As far as I remember, you only asked me to _write_ a paper so you could present it as part of your work." The girl looked at Regina with anger.

She noticed the grin in the man's face and the way her boss shot her a warning look but she didn't care. _Nobody_ would use her like that, even if that would cost her something later. And she knew all too well that this _would_ cost her.

"And this has nothing to do with the fact she can't deal with me, Mr. Gold." She turned her attention to the rector. "This has to do with the fact that you two aren't giving me the respect I deserve. Miss Mills is an excellent teacher and boss and I feel grateful for the opportunity of working with such a brilliant woman." The student noticed his grin fade, but didn't shut up or looked at Regina to see her reaction. "She is a real pain in the ass sometimes, yes. But she has an amazing way of teaching and although I don't agree with her methods sometimes, I can't deny it works."

Emma chuckled and shook her head. She couldn't believe she had just admitted that out loud.

"I just want you two stop acting like I was a puppet and cut the crap. I have a class to attend and some work to do after that. Am I in trouble or something like that?"

The rector studied the girl curiously for a full minute before he nodded slowly.

"No, Miss Swan. You are not in trouble. I just wanted to clarify some things to make sure everything was under control here."

The student laughed at this and walked toward the door. She reached the knob but turned to face the two of them.

"I am _never_ 'under control', rector Gold."

With that, Emma left the office without looking back. If she had paid attention, she would have seen the smallest of the smiles in Regina's face and a very thoughtful Rumpelstiltskin Gold.


End file.
